Fashion Films

Ah fashion films, they've been around for decades and never seem to go out of style, starting with the very early silent films such as Pandora's Box which debuted the fringe/bob hairstyle that was all the rage in the 1920s.

I would describe a fashion film as something that relies, focuses or relates to fashion a lot as they rely on fashion to tell a story of a certain character.
When a character changes clothes often within the movie and shows different trends and styles, everything is considered such as accessories, jewellery, fabrics, colours and so much more to create a vibe, an emotion or an atmosphere.
When I think of a fashion film I'm overwhelmed by my thoughts because of all the great films I have seen and have yet to see.

It's wonderful that movies from as early as the 20s are still around for us to see what life, fashion, lingo and genres of movies were out back then.

Even films that came out later on still kept the spirit of fashion from regular wardrobe changes to the dialogue of these fashionistas.

Some of the most popular fashion movies are from the 40s to 60s with Breakfast and Tiffany's becoming a huge hit, Grease, Pretty in Pink and Cleopatra which featured some of the most famous women, style icons and role models of today, Audrey Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor and Olivia Newton John.

I asked Kanch what one of her favourite fashion movies was and she mentioned Clueless filmed in 1995 which I have to agree with! Definitely a chick flick and fun to watch with outrageous outfits and toned down outfits.

I will always remember one part of Clueless when Cher played by Alicia Silverstone comes down from her room to greet her date and uptight lawyer father before she goes on her date in a short white dress.
Her father then asks "What the hell is that?" and Cher replies, "It's a dress" And in disbelief her father says "Says who?" to which Cher retaliates "Calvin Klein."
We also can't forget the talented Britney Murphy who was the new kid in town and was "adopted" by Cher and took her under her wing. Britney Murphy who had a more grungy style at the beginning of the movie makes it truly a fashion film with it's diverse styles and make-over scenes.

Another fashion film that I will watch every now and then till the day I die is Romy and Michele's High School Reunion (1997) where 2 best friends find themselves with an invite to their reunion where they were considered the losers of their school (even though they had impeccable fashion sense.) Dreading the reunion they prep themselves before they have to face the mean girls of their year. It's a fashionable, humorous, fun journey where they learn a little bit about themselves and end up living their dream, owning their own boutique.

There was a film that came out last year called The Artist which was a black and white silent film focusing on a relationship between a rising actress and an older silent film star. This romantic comedy drama is set in the 1920s to early 30s and is jam packed full of fashion, featuring beautiful constructed tuxedos and flapper dresses.
The 1920s was when fashion really came alive and women started to take risks like cutting their hair shorter and shortening hem lines.
Every outfit seemed completely thought out and theres just something charming about a fashionable 1920s black and white silent film that is just captivating.

The Artist

Romy & Michele's High School Reunion

Grease

Cleopatra

Clueless

All I can say is keep 'em coming and we'll keep watching them!! Do you have a favourite fashion movie?
Love, Petra

Enquiries: +852 2117 1782 | info@kanchancouture.com

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STREET SWAG

Ah, street style, it's everywhere and it's different everywhere you go so it's not surprising that so many bloggers have gone viral due to their dedication of documenting street style in their country or all over the world.

Blogs such as the Sartorialist post beautiful photographs of strangers with a unique sense of style and have even snapped a few Hong Kongers.
I love these sites for a bit of inspiration or just for a quick browse, sites like these usually post images of anything unique, quirky, inventive and inspiring.
Style is personal and unique, and the way it all comes together creates your personal style. Before style was quite generic, it was either this or that, but now fashion and style has evolved and people have become more experimental with fashion, different cuts, styles, prints, fabrics, lengths, shapes, you name it.

Whenever I go to Page One book store I always check out the fashion section before traipsing through the rest of the aisles. I Always pick up the street style books by Nylon Magazine, Japanese street style books and my personal favourite the new age Club Kids fashion book.

I adore flicking through these especially the more outrageous ones such as the Club Kids and the Japanese fashion. Even the most outrageous outfit can be toned down or even turned up to fit your personal style. Theres just something about these books that draw me in despite having seen them so many times, one of those coffee table books you know? Something timeless, simple, for a quick browse.

The new era Club Kids style book is based on the socialites and clubs kids in the 1980s that pranced around New York in the craziest attire and eventually became famous for their fashion and lifestyle and eventually a murder.

When I was younger I used to be quite critical about others fashion sense , I don't know why, but I've come to love other individuals style, I mean if we all dressed the same the world would be a boring place now wouldn't it? Fashion is about inspiration and fun and style is about individuality and personal preference.

Our favourite street wear items from the Kanchan Couture line are the easy to wear accessories, scarves, cuffs, and jewellery. These are the best ways to spruce up your outfit whether you're wearing a scarf as a top, around your neck or as a hair band, play with some accessories and it will look more complete.

Adding a broach is another one of our favourite ways to accessorize for street styling, its practical and also looks good, attach it to your bag, or clothing item and you're good to go!

But most importantly be yourself in whatever you do, wear whatever you want with a smile and live, love and laugh as we at KC like to say.

Love, Petra

Enquiries: +852 2117 1782 | info@kanchancouture.com

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K&P Banter: THEN & NOW

P: This week we’re talking about all things fashion then and now, is there anything in fashion that you wish was still trendy like before?

K: Yes women dressing like women

P: Is there an outfit that you wore once that you really regret?

K: Um no regret but def. some funny memories to look back to - my neon short tights with multi color over sized tees, next was super dark lip stick shades, boxers and overalls and then I became a woman.

P: Hahah and how do you think fashion has changed since a few years ago?

K: A lot, as society changes so does fashion - with the easy connectivity of the Internet the world is a much smaller place so its a whole different retail world out there. Also with the economy up and down its really changed a lot. I could write an essay on this question alone.

P: How has the brand changed since you launched your first collection?

K: A lot as well. A brand is like having a baby it glows slowly and changes with each age and time.

P: Whats in store for the future?

K:Well for now a new jewellery line and then world domination.

P: I completely agree!

Until next week guys!

Love, Petra

THEN AND NOW

Fashion is always changing and thats one of the reasons why I love it. New trends coming into play and old trends regaining popularity.

A lot has changed since fashion became a multi billion dollar industry and lately with fast fashion brands such as Zara and H&M coming into the picture fashion is becoming more accessible and more affordable.
I remember reading an article about Zara's collections and how they produce up to 2 collections every week and their success lies in the ability to adapt to quick changes in fashion. With over 200 designers and over 1000 stores worldwide fast fashion stores have changed fashion drastically.
Before stores such as these became popular it was hard to find items that were trendy and affordable. Once fast fashion took off the industry was booming with stores popping up all over the world from different areas such as Cotton On from Australia.Trends these days are moving quicker than ever with new designers on the rise and creating more and more. Because production is cheaper in large amounts, stores create more merchandise than regular stores to accommodate their large amount of clientele.

A couple of decades ago fashion was only accessible to those that had money, prior to the 19th century clothing was custom created by tailors and seamstresses especially for certain people and when new technologies came about in the 20th century such as the sewing machine and production and manufacturing system it created more jobs, more clothes and more demand for fashion. Royalty all over the world in China, India, Europe all had custom tailored garments because thats all that was available, now custom tailored garments are deemed couture or one of a kind and means a lot more than it did before, status wise.

I've been working here for 2 years now and I've seen our items develop and especially our jewellery collections that are moving at a very rapid pace I can't keep up!

The last clothing line we created was our Islamic Fashion Festival line and because we only created a 10 piece collection they were created by a tailor who we worked closely with, regularly meeting her to check up on our designs and adding extra touches.

A couple of months ago we launched our online webshop so that we are readily available all over the world. Not only has fashion fashion totally blown up in stores but online as well. More people are purchasing online due to the convenience and hassle free shopping experience. Shoppers are able to browse, watch catwalk shows of the item their interested in and have it sent to you doorstep within 2 weeks or less.

Check out our E-shop here!

Love, Petra

Enquiries: +852 2117 1782 | info@kanchancouture.com

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PRINTS

It seems there is an overwhelming lust for summer with the amount of prints and colours the KC team have been wearing! So I decided to write this entry on the perfect prints for this spring/summer and the types of fit for your body!

There are tons of print trends out there now lace, florals, gypsy, colour blocking, tie-dye and more.

Tie-dye is super trendy at the moment and it was definitely in full swing during Coachella. Being an outdoor festival it seems to represent spring and summer really well and is sort of a platform of how people will be dressing for the next few months. Tie-dye is great because you can DIY or pick up something at a great price with this print. Because it’s tie-dye I’d prefer to do it myself as its more fun creating your own design, choosing your own colours and customizing it you suit your personal style exactly. Tie-dye is also a lot cheaper to do it yourself, sure the dye can cost a bit but you could easily pick up a cheap plain cotton tee and you could make a couple for the price of one. In terms of

Fit- Anyone can rock the tie-dye trend, its universal. You can snip the hemline and make it more bohemian, or you and cut half of the tee off and make it a cropped top. I would recommend giving it your unique touch, leaving a tie-dye tee in its boring basic t-shirt form is very 90s. Cut it up for a modern edge, and wear it with a smile.

*Style tip: I love doing DIY, theres nothing like having something completely one of a kind. Cut up the sleeves, cut them off or even just cut one shoulder. You can choose from tons of different colours of t-shirt dye, just dye even one sleeve or the whole tee! Snip snip!

The floral print trend is blossoming this year which has come in many different forms, from shirts, dresses, shorts, lining of garments, accessories and more. A year ago you could say that this trend is borderline Grandmother/curtain but it’s stepped out of that stereotype and people are rocking this trend everywhere-and looking good. It’s a very pretty, fun trend that has a youthful vibe to it. Summer days are said to be getting hotter everywhere and a floral, gypsy style dress is a must-have for summer. It’s airy so you won’t feel hot or restricted and with the right accessories and shoes you could wear this trend anywhere.
Fit- Make sure when you’re wearing something floral that it doesn’t overwhelm you. You don’t want to look frumpy or like the dress is wearing you. If you’ve got a baggy floral dress and you’re on the curvy side, put a belt under your bust to give the dress a bit of structure and shape, you don’t want to be lost in a floral dress. For the petite l girls a floral dress looks great if you’re showing a bit of skin. Floral dresses are usually baggy and you so you don’t want to get lost in the fabric. Showing your shoulders or legs shows that you’re wearing the dress-not the other way around.

Tribal and Aztec inspired prints are also a huge trend this summer. The thing I love about this trend is that it’s limitless; there are all types of geometric shapes/patterns and all types of colours. There is such a range when it comes to this trend and it’s such a fun way to dress and quite exotic and different to many trends in the past.
It’s my favourite trend at the moment as it can come in many forms, shoes, accessories, jewelry and more.
Fit- not all prints are flattering, it all depends on your figure and the shape of the item of clothing. If you’re a curvy girl, try to avoid prints that go horizontal which do appear to make you look larger. It you’re a petite girl try to avoid large clustered prints, as you could get lost within the item of clothing. Have fun with this trend; try the large African inspired necklaces with a simple black dress so that it’s not over powering.

What types of prints are you loving this season?

Love, Petra

Enquiries: +852 2117 1782 | info@kanchancouture.com

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We're back!!

After talking to Kanch, we decided to revive our Blogspot account!

We have a few subscribers here and we're excited to be updating this again. Our tumblr is soon going to be just image related so please check out our other links!

Love, Petra & Kanch

Enquiries: +852 2117 1782 | info@kanchancouture.com

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