Resort wear might have a niche market in the country, but the rules of the game are set to soon change with inaugural edition of India Resort fashion week(IRFW) starting here Dec 7.

With Shantanu and Nikhil, Manish Malhotra, Shivan and Narresh and Narendra Kumar associated with it, one can expect a melange of creative "fireworks" in terms of beach wear. The four-day fashion fete will have more than 15 designers from across the country participating.

The event will be held at the Grand Hyatt hotel and the icing on the cake will be the perfect location for the grand finale - Marbela beach resort, Morjim, where sea will provide the perfect backdrop. Aimed at taking Indian resort wear global, IRFW COO Shalini Chuganee feels this is going to be an apt platform to provide business-to-business opportunities to designers.

"This platform provides opportunities not only in business-to-business but in the business-to-consumer segment as well, resulting in brand equity. We are hoping the amalgamation of international quality standards with the finest resort wear designer collections will take Indian resort wear to the global fashion map," Chuganee said. Mumbai-based designer James Ferreira will open the show while Bollywood favourite Manish Malhotra will bring the curtains down Dec 10.

In fact, Pallav Ojha, director of UVAR Pvt Ltd, a retail firm which is also one of the main organisers of the event, felt the venue, the mood and the spirit of the fashion week goes hand-in-hand with the city of beaches. Hence the choice of the venue itself speaks a lot about the event.

"When we think about beach fashion, style and attitude, Goa is the first destination on people`s mind. Goa is visited by the maximum number of national and international tourists. Goa has been synonymous with luxury, style and the beach experience worldwide," Ojha told IANS. The enthusiasm amongst the participating designers is equally upbeat and positive.

Delhi-based designer duo Shivan and Narresh, who specialise in resort wear, feel there is a long way to go to the next level, but are optimistic that with shows like this, resort wear in India will grow with leaps and bounds.

"Designers who ardently create resort wear many a times go unnoticed. India does not provide adequate impetus for this booming sector. IRFW provides numerous designers a platform to showcase their creativity. It will helps them tap this profitable segment," Shivan Bhatiya told IANS.

As the countdown has already begun, one can start sipping martins and watch the show.

The owner of an advertisement company and his friend an art director were arrested by police after they allegedly sexually harassed a 23-year-old fashion designer on the pretext of giving her an assignment. The duo called the victim, Nikita (name changed on request) at their flat where they allegedly locked her in a room and physically assaulted her. The incident has been reported from Safdarjung area of south Delhi.

A senior police official said that Nikita lives in Defence Colony of south Delhi and has been known to the accused persons for a long time. They used to give her assignments and would pay her accordingly.

Hidden agenda
"The accused owner of an advertisement company Mohammed Rahil called the victim on the pretext of some work. However, Nikita at first turned down the offer. She told them that she had some other work to do. Rahil asked her to meet them once and called her to his flat in the area," said the police official. He also said that when she reached the address, the victim found Sukanta Kundu (the art director) the second accused in the case was already present there. The trio talked for a while.

"Nikita again turned down their proposal and decided to leave the place. The accused closed the door from the inside and did not allow her to go. They harassed her and physically assaulted her," said the police official. After sometime they opened the door. Nikita left and directly approached the police. The official said that when the police contacted the miscreants they said that Nikita was cooking up stories.

'She's lying'
"We wanted to give her some work but she perhaps wanted more money. She is lying," they told the police. The official said that the accused were arrested. "She said that the accused on the pretext of giving her an assignment have molested her. Police lodged an FIR under section 354 (molestation) and 342 (holding a person hostage) and 34 (common intention) against them. They were both arrested by the police," said the police
official.

Who's safe?
As reported by MiD DAY on October 11, a room attendant at a three-star hotel in south Delhi allegedly assaulted and attempted to rape a 24-year-old fashion designer from Bangalore, who had come to the Capital to meet her close friends and attend the fashion week that was on, in her room.

The victim, Neha (name changed) somehow escaped the clutches of the accused and called the police. The room attendant was arrested from the spot and an FIR under section 376/511 (attempt to rape) was lodged against him at Malviya Nagar police station of south Delhi.

A senior police official close to the investigation said on the condition of anonymity that the incident took place at Hotel Justa The Residence that is situated in Panchsheel area. "The room attendant has been identified as Ajay Kumar. He had been working in the hotel for the past three years. According to the victim, on October 8, the accused came to her room on the pretext of room service. Finding her alone he assaulted her.
The victim was pushed onto the bed; the accused tried to remove her clothes. Neha tried to defend herself and a scuffle broke out between them. She somehow escaped from his clutches and managed to call PCR," said the police.

The official said that the room attendant was handed over to the police by the hotel staff who had gathered at the spot hearing the commotion. The victim gave her written statement to the cops against Ajay Kumar. The police official said that the victim left for her hometown a day after the incident. DCP (south) Chhaya Sharma was unavailable for comments.

The L'Oréal Melbourne Fashion Festival has kicked things off early with the launch of their 2012 Festival Campaign, one designed to evoke a “tactically, all-embracing quality... that emanates a strong sense of community through celebrating local Australian talent, their love of the festival and all that Melbourne has to offer”, according to the festival's Chief Executive Graeme Lewsey.

Instead of a sole celebrity ambassador for the festival, the 'Friends of the Festival' campaign seeks to highlight a range of Australian talent, including headlining international models Myf Shepherd, Nicole Trunfio and Alexandra Agoston. Of the 'all for one, one for all' approach to marketing the festival, Lewsey played the good old social media card, deeming consumers "the new fashion authority" and the campaign as being "level headed, tactile and not pulling on celebrity endorsement. It puts everyday consumers in the heart and soul of this campaign."

Interestingly then, in addition to the bounty of local talent on offer, equally as bountiful international burlesque style icon (and celebrity, duh) Dita Von Teese will make an appearance on the runway to showcase her underwear range, or Von Follies by Dita Von Teese for Target. Said The Teese: "I am delighted to celebrate the launch of Von Follies by Dita Von Teese, my debut lingerie collection for Target Australia at the 2012 L'Oréal Melbourne Fashion Festival. I look forward to appearing on the coveted runway for the first time in my very own designs." Sure thing, Dita, you and the other 370,000 expected festival attendees. It is their festival, after all.

This week saw Victoria Beckham awarded Designer Brand of the Year at the British Fashion Awards. She travelled all the way from LA with her favourite accessory in tow – ­super-cute baby Harper – and was presented with her gong on the night by designer best mate Marc Jacobs. Other A-listers at London’s The Savoy for the ceremony included Kate Hudson, Daphne Guinness and Samantha Cameron who, like Mrs Beckham, all wore black. But my dress of the night by a mile was rock chick Kate Moss’s black floor-length fishnet frock.

My favourite designer Stella McCartney also picked up an award for Red Carpet Dresser of the Year, but the ultimate award of the night – Designer of the Year – went to Alexander McQueen’s Sarah Burton who sent the label stratospheric this year after designing THAT wedding dress for Kate Middleton.

While we’re on the subject of Great British brands, there’s good news for Brits living in Paris as M&S has just reopened in the French capital. After closing its store there 10 years ago, there were protest marches on the streets! I was living in Paris at the time and felt like joining in.

And more good news on the shop front – after the 24-hour sell-out success of Versace’s debut range for H&M, Donatella has said she’s already busy designing a follow-up range that will go online on January 19.

Finally, it’s time to wear the trousers – leather ones, to be precise. Make like Alexa Chung and keep them skinny-legged. If you’re a little self-conscious or tired of breathing in, team them with a boyfriend sweater or jacket. Just be sure to wear with a heel or ankle boots, not flats.

Biba at House of Fraser has the hottest on the high street (£149, down from £249) and Mary Portas, also at House of Fraser, has a skinny jegging style (£132, down from £230). OK, they don’t come cheap, but looking at price per wear and the fact they reappear every few years, it’s a good investment. I wear mine with a white T-shirt or shirt, a tux jacket and a killer heel.

But if you don’t do leather – or the price of it – Warehouse has faux leather skinnies (£45) as do Oasis and Topshop (below), both £42. Rock ’n’ roll!

West Hollywood recently became the first city to officially put a ban on fur, and though it won't come into effect until September 2013, retailers in the area are already expressing their grievances. The NYT spoke with a few stores that are super peeved, and opinions ranged from calling the ban "ridiculous" to "super annoying." Reportedly, the John Varvatos store in the area is thinking of moving, as is the boutique Arcade. And wardrobe stylist Cary Fetman—who spends a lot of time and money on furs for Joan Rivers—will just head to Robertson Boulevard or Rodeo Drive. He says: "I refuse to shop where I have to wonder whether or not I'm missing something. The whole point of going to these boutiques was that I knew they were carrying this person's whole line."

But of course, not everyone is pissed. Animal rights groups are quite happy, and PETA's spokesperson Lindsay Rajt says: "These days, fur is falling out of favor with most designers. I think West Hollywood is setting a tremendous example for other cities to follow." She also says that she will not throw paint on you if you do wear fur. "It's much more effective to tap a woman on the shoulder and tell her she is too lovely to be wearing the skin of an abused animal than to douse her in red paint."

Many shoppers, too, are pleased with the ban. Lauren Frenkel told the Times, "It's a social statement. If people learned more about fur, then maybe they wouldn't buy it, and this makes them think about it." But then, there were some shoppers who liked fur and didn't want to go on the record about it, for fear that "animal rights activists would retaliate against them."