India has a rich, diverse and unique textile tradition. The extraordinary range of Indian textiles reflect the cultural richness and adaptability. Interestingly nowhere else will anybody wear the range of colour combinations like the Indians do.. Read more

Economist glossy puts fashion in focus

Intelligent Life, the Economist spin-off title, launches its second issue this week - boasting the first fashion shoot in the highbrow magazine's 164-year history.The magazine, aimed at the booming luxury market, is the Economist's attempt to compete with the Financial Times magazine How to Spend It - some issues of which have generated £1m of advertising income. Intelligent Life has entered an upmarket niche that also boasts Luxx, recently launched by the Times, and IPC's Wallpaper*, which has upped its frequency from 10 to 12 issues per year.Meanwhile, Wallpaper* founder Tyler Brûlé has launched Monocle, a Wallpaper*/Economist hybrid."This is a very crowded space: lots of people are producing magazines that are designed to take luxury goods advertising," said the Intelligent Life editor, Ed Carr, who also edits the back section of the Economist, which includes the science and arts pages."It may be in that space but it's a very different proposition to for the readers - it has to follow the basic philosophy of the Economist."The fashion spread - a first in the Economist's history, according to Carr - focuses on jewellery as heirlooms."I think that there's a move in luxury goods away from sheer bling," he said. "Luxury is rather more about the experience and what it means to you, rather than the ability to show off."Elsewhere in the magazine, another photo gallery features Chinese coal mines, while other articles include a story about Russian theatre producing a Tom Stoppard play. "I didn't want to produce a magazine to basically flick through," Carr said. "I wanted a magazine that you could sink your teeth into."The cover story is about author Philip Pullman and the inspirations for the His Dark Materials trilogy.Intelligent Life is published quarterly in Europe, Africa and the Middle East and costs £4.95.Advertisers in the latest issue include Bulgari, Giorgio Armani, Breitling for Bentley, Chanel and Grey Goose vodka. Carr would not disclose sales or advertising revenue generated by the first issue, but conceded that it could increase its frequency."It's possible that we will get to six or 10 issues a year," added Carr, who returned to the Economist in 2005 after five years at the Financial Times.He previously lost out to John Micklethwait for the editorship of the Economist in March last year.

Holograms are fashion show's runway 'models'

The future of fashion - or at least fashion shows - recently debuted in New York City at Grand Central Station.  Target staged a model-less fashion show, featuring high-definition, faceless holograms wearing clothes and accessories that are part of the retailer's holiday offerings. It was staged in little vignettes, beginning with one female hologram prancing around her bed room trying to decide what to wear and ending with a rapid-fire series of silhouettes wearing favorite looks of Target's big-name designer collaborators.
    Without live models, the show began on time and with little hubbub, both unheard of with the typical runway show. The clothes all fit and there were no hair and makeup mishaps.
    ''A show like this spreads the mission statement that fashion should be democratic,'' Mizrahi said. ''It allows someone to see the clothes and envision themselves in it. Models can be intimidating.''   Most adults - 62 percent, according to an Associated Press-AOL Games poll - don't play video games. Most people between aged 4 to 17 - 81 percent - do. Clearly, to paraphrase bluesman Willie Dixon, there's something here that the men don't know but the little kids understand.  Most parents of gamers don't make much of an effort to keep up with their offspring. Forty-three percent of parents whose children play video or computer games never join in, and another 30 percent say they spend less than an hour a week doing so.  Only 18 percent said they were likely to buy a game console over the holiday season.
 

The Mack is back: a Scottish icon wows the fashion world

IT HAD slipped from being a must-have fashion item for smart city slickers to adorning the slumped shoulders of private detectives and down and outs. But now the mackintosh raincoat, a Scottish staple, is enjoying a glorious resurgence - thanks to the Japanese.

Mackintosh Rainwear is building a £50 million business in the country in preparation for a major relaunch at the London Fashion Week 2009. And along with a select group of Scots brands, including Harris Tweed and Pringle, it is rapidly becoming the choice of the fashion elite. Mary McGowne, founder of the Scottish Style Awards, has a navy blue mack, which she wears with skinny jeans and high heels. She said the trenchcoat was making a comeback on both the catwalk and the high street. She said: "It's a distinctive wardrobe staple for men and women alike. I've been aware of the mackintosh resurgence for several seasons and it's really positive. "It is one of several key Scottish success stories - the resurgence of Scottish heritage brands. "Mackintosh and Johnsons of Elgin are two of the most exciting brands which have completely remodelled themselves and brought themselves up to date. "It's great that the foreign export markets like the Far East and North American are seeing the value of the heritage of the mackintosh - it's one of those pieces that never goes out of fashion." The Cumbernauld-based firm is working with a Japanese distribution firm, Sanyo Shokai, to expand its business over there. d by fashion-savvy women over 30, as well as businessmen. Daniel Dunko, the managing director of Mackintosh Rainwear, said he hoped to build up the brand to become the equivalent of the chic Parisian label Hermès. The firm has launched a younger spin-off label, Mackintosh Philosophy, and is opening a series of concessions in the Japanese equivalents of Jenners or Harvey Nichols - Mitsukoshi and Isetan. Other retailers which have gone overseas include Ted Baker. The core market of the designer firm, which has roots in Scotland, remains the UK. However, it has invested in global expansion, particularly in Asia and the Middle East - and seen its share prices rocket . Mackintosh began with a Glasgow chemist, Charles Macintosh - without the 'k' - in 1823. He developed the process of spreading rubber onto cotton to create the world's first waterproof - and created the original mackintosh coat. Every mack-maker now has to undergo a three-year apprenticeship to ensure they can create the coat to the exact standards specified. The coats now fetch about £400 and, last month, were advertised for the first time since 1823. The designs stay true to the brand's Scottish roots, with names like Ballater, Kelty and Dalgety. Earlier this year, at the second annual Scottish Fashion Awards, the brand was named accessory designer of the year.• THE Mac is the latest item of clothing to be brought back into the nation's wardrobes by the fickle fashion set. Madonna made leg-warmers sexy, while the super-skinny discovered that puffball dresses actually looked good on them. The humble lumberjack shirt is perhaps the least likely contender for the catwalk, but it has made a comeback this season. Black stilettos and skinny jeans is one of the more wearable trends to reinvent itself. Female pop stars favour the flat cap, while the fashion icon - or disaster - Pete Doherty is rarely spotted without his trilby.