Italian Fashion Watch

Last week Mumbai was studded with glamorous fashion brands, as the global elites like Fendi Burberry and Salvatore Ferragamo displayed their accessory collections at 5-star hotels, attracting Bollywood divas and major designers.

As the growing potential in India, luxury houses are making a beeline into domestic market.

Following the lead of their favorite stars, locals are also getting tempeted for lavish treats.

While jewelry artist Farah Khan Ali is a major fan of Fendi and Louis Vuitton gears, stunning Simone Singh is crazy for Prada, Chloe and Miu Miu footwear.

Koena Mitra loves a LV chocolate and brunette bag, others adore cute little purses.

In all there is no doubt that India is recognizing the essentiality of chic accessories that is making room for global boutiques, who are standing on one feet to grab new opportunities!

‘Considering that in America and that also in the last months in Europe we have results, which we believe are very good, I am convinced 2006 can be a record year for sales and profits,’ Francesco Trapani said.

‘In the presence of a good selling season in the Christmas period we expect a growth on a like-for-like exchange rate basis of 10 pct,’ he said, referring to rises in net profit and sales.

On accessories and perfumes expansion, Bulgari intends to continue selective selling of these in dedicated outlets, he said, noting the wider market for these compared to jewelry and watches.

Bulgari has dedicated accessory and perfume outlets in Tokyo, Osaka, Washington, Seoul, and Shanghai, while in Italy, it intends to open an outlet in Florence in the next months and Rome in 2007, he said.

Overall sales will get a boost from restructuring of Bulgari’s shop in New York and expansion in Japan, while in the US, Boston and Dallas are locations for new openings ’soon’, he said.

In the US, Bulgari is considering opening in out-of-town shopping malls, he said, noting how these malls attract affluent consumers and other luxury brands are opening in these locations.

Tonight will see the launch of Giorgio Armani’s new Red capsule collection as the fashion designer celebrates with a charity bash that he claims will be the biggest party he has ever hosted.

The couturier will unveil the new range of which 40 per cent of the proceeds would go towards the Red charity that aims to help relieve poverty and the impact of Aids on Africa.

The four-our fashion spectacular is set to take place in Earls Court, London, tonight and it is expected that a host of A-listers will turn out in support of the event.

Red campaigners Bono and Scarlett Johansson are on the guest list, with Beyonce, 50 Cent, Leonardo DiCaprio and Razorlight also expected to turn up for the extravaganza.

Speaking to the Mirror, Armani confirmed that tonight’s bash will be “bigger than anything in New York, Paris or Milan“.

He is even dressing his famous guests for the event, with Razorlight frontman Carl Delemo gushing that the free suit he got is his first Armani suit ever.

And he was amazed about the quality of the outfit, saying: “I’ve never been interested in fashion? I can’t believe how good [the Armani suit] felt.”

Shawshank Posted on his blog a review of the new Dolce & Gabbana MOTORAZR From Motorola. I love that phone. It looks a lot better than my old Samsung D600, though it doesn’t have all the great features I have on my phone.

Well, here’s the review:

The MOTORAZR V3i DG from Motorola has all the features of a normal MOTORAZR with some added classy bling from DG.

The styllish gold frame is not the only flash, as you can accesorize with a gold DG Bluetooth headset, matching gold Motorola DG headphones, a nice light brown leagther case with the DG insignia, and a fashionable gold DG lanyard, pictured here. These Motorola DG accessories do a great job in complimenting the stylish gold RAZR.

Of course this DG MOTORAZR comes with all the standard cool features of the standard thin mobile phone. Some key features include a 1.23 megapixel camera for still shots and video, many downloadable ringtones, wallpapers, themes and screensavers, and a polyphonic speaker.

You can read the full Motorarz review here.

Prada chief Patrizio Bertelli lashed out at the Italian fashion industry Tuesday, accusing it of being out of date with a fast-paced and increasingly competitive world dominated by Asian manufacturing prowess and chains such as Zara and Hennes & Mauritz.

The executive also called for a massive shift in the fashion show calendar, moving the spring ready-to-wear shows to July.

Bosco Family represents an exhibition Made in Italy. On November, 17 and 18 the master of Italian fashion Luciano Barbera specially will arrive to Moscow to present the brand, to share the sights at man’s elegance, to communicate to journalists and clients.

On November, 18 all interested person will present a unique opportunity to order an individual suit from tailors Luciano Barbera who will remove a measure directly in “Spring”.

Father Luchano Barbera was the owner of factory on manufacture of fabrics. In due time it in spite of the fact that in post-war Italy poverty and ruin reigned, began to pay attention to manufacture of expensive(dear) and high-quality materials from a wool and cashmere.

He has expanded business of the father. In 1971, he has registered own mark Luciano Barbera which began to specialize not only on release of fabrics, but also on manufacture exclusive man’s and lady’s wear.

He could make during short time the company known. The clothes under mark Luciano Barbera are sold all over the world, in 1992 specially for work in the American market company Barbera USA has been based. In 2003 was open Luciano Barbera Flagship store in Milan on Via Santo Spirito 22.

Except for a line pret-a-porter, today under brand Luciano Barbera accessories and footwear, the sportswear, a special collection for game in a golf are issued. Fabrics which are used in manufacture - a wool of the highest quality, cashmere, a clap(cotton), flax and silk - are still made only at factory Carlo Barbera.

Luciano Barbera all as it is true to classical easy comfortable style and tries to propagandize own understanding of man’s elegance. It even has let out the book where stated rules of a man’s wardrobe have. However on its first pages Barbera emphasizes, that imposes to nobody of the ideas and leaves for each person the right to observe, reject all unnecessary and itself to make of the decision.

Italian fashion house Versace plans to build 15 luxury resorts around the world in its latest effort to woo the super-rich, its CEO told Reuters on Wednesday.

Under an agreement with Australian property developer Sunland Group, Versace will design and furnish the 7-star hotels, which will all be modelled along its historic headquarters in Milan.

Versace already owns a hotel on Australia’s Gold Coast.

Versace chief executive Giancarlo Di Risio has overseen a comeback from a loss-making group with a messy mix of labels to a sleeker, profitable luxury brand with a focus on exclusive products for the very wealthy.

“The hotels close the circle of super-luxury: clothing, yachts, private jets, and now resorts,” he said.

Mr Di Risio declined to say how much Versace stands to gain from the hotel deal.

But the first in the series will open in Dubai in 2009, offering guests a swimming pool with live exotic fish and specially cooled sand.

Versace made its name as a label of choice for publicity hungry celebrities, mad for the revealing dresses in shock colours that were a hallmark of designer-founder Gianni Versace.

But after Versace was murdered in the 1990s and his sister Donatella took over, the company floundered and came close to bankruptcy.

When the Madrid Fashion Week event regarding the super skinny models that were present on most fashion shows took place, Giorgio Armani was one of the few fashion designers who stood up and supported the initiative.

Now, Armani has officially joined the campaign to get curvier models on the catwalk - and calls on fellow designer to follow his example.

I’m sure those who look up to Armani as one of the most important designers in the world will follow his footsteps in this regard.

“I have never liked thin girls and never sent them down the catwalk,” Armani says.

“At my shows you will find girls in size 42 (US size , outfits. Sure, I choose very feminine women with little breast and straight hips,” the designer confesses.

“However, there are other designers out there who like to provoke, who like to make a show so they get talked about.”

The Milan event resonated throughout the fashion world and now, the organizers for the Rome Fashion Week that starts in January demand that the models that will be present on the catwalk do meet the health standards.

Giorgio Armani teamed up with Bono in the RED initiative, to help raise money for the Global Fund, an international charity organization that supports the prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS, especially in poor areas of Africa.

By participating at this initiative, Armani launched a new Fashion line, suggestively named Inspi(Red). This way, 40 percent of the profit he gets from the sales of products in this line will go to the Global Fund.

The second product in this fashion line is the new Armani Inspi(Red) watch.

It is unisex and looks very casual. It features a large 43mm stainless steel case with a coin-ridged bezel, a thick leather strap available in either black with red contrast stitching, or red with black contrast stitching.

The large digital dial displays the time in oversized numerals and has a calendar, chronograph and timer features with push button controls of the side of the case.

The dial also features the Emporio Armani RED logo at 12 o’clock printed onto the dial’s ring. It is available in all Emporio Armani stores and select specialty watch stores and department stores worldwide.

In support of (RED)™, Giorgio Armani is deigning a special Emporio Armani capsule collection comprising clothing, accessories, eyewear, watches, jewelry and fragrances.

The American Film Institute’s annual festival got off to an appropriately glitzy start on Wednesday evening when a roll-call of big names turned out for a gala screening of the political drama Bobby.

In years gone by the high profile designer’s daughter has earned a reputation for being publicity shy, but her confidence seems to be growing of late. Just last month she was spotted rubbing shoulders with J Lo and Jessica Simpson at a special event honouring movie heart-throb Johnny Depp, and she looked equally at ease when she arrived at the AFI bash on Wednesday. Onlookers also noticed that the millionairess, whose slender appearance has provoked concern in the past, was looking both stylish and less gaunt in a pretty lavender gown.

Allegra wasn’t the only one making an impression. The Matrix hunk Laurence Fishburne, who also appears in Bobby, was likewise in attendance, along with As Good As It Gets actress Helen Hunt.