DSF Fashion Central aglow with new collections of luxury brands

The Apparel and Fashion themed events of  the current edition of Dubai Shopping Festival reached a whole new level with fashion shows by three leading luxury brands at the Mall of the Emirates on 16 January 2016.

DSF 2016  organised by Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE), an agency of the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) – collaborated with BCBG Max Azria, Billionaire Italian Couture and DKNY to showcase their new collections at the mall’s Fashion Central, a style platform featuring fashion-related activations developed by leading retailers.

BCBG Max Azria

The vision of a lifetime is something to be taken seriously especially when creative design, innovation and future thinking bring the vision to life. That’s what designer Max Azria did when he launched his brand BCBG Max Azria. His clothing line is designed with the modern woman in mind and thus the catwalk saw designs ranging from evening wear to cocktail dresses and casual outfits.

The designs carry a lot of movement and softness, given the fabrics that have been used.  The simplicity of the dresses are taken over by a surprise element, such as combining an immaculately fitted tulle bodice with a flowing long skirt or embracing unexpected cuts and pleats on the gown.  Or a navy blue two-piece gown with a full length skirt where the fuchsia red floral embroidery cascades down the bodice.  Even a stark black and white satin evening gown is translated into a special piece given the use of lace on some parts of the bodice.   

For something different, the leather jacket with heavy fringe work reminds the modern woman that she can create an independent fashion statement, especially if the jacket is teamed up with a flowing delicate peach and white gown.  Another way to switch from work wear to evening wear is by wearing the jacket dress. It is a business suit for the working woman with a detachable tulle skirt.

Billionaire

Men’s fashion took the spotlight next with the Billionaire fashion show. The Spring/Summer 2016 collection sees Michael Koedel’s first ever collection for Billionaire Italian Couture.This season’s collection focussed on the Billionaire Crest which featured on nearly every piece of clothing. For example, the crest was seen on the back pockets of jeans or subtly seated on the coin pocket of the jeans.  Blazers, jackets, shirts and even the signature Billionaire suede shoes called the Slippers became emblems of what the brand stands for – high life.  The signature crest was either subtly embroidered onto the garment in the same colour, or for a bolder look a contrasting colour was used.

In addition, the new collection saw the falcon emerge as an embroidered motif. The falcon is a reminder of the Billionaire archetype; its power is never taken for granted, its confidence in going places is a daily affair, its drive heightens it majestic purpose.

The colours in the collection stuck with various hues of blues, a pleasing red and a bit of black thrown in. Some of the ensemble included a blue cotton shirt or a polo-shirt with the Billionaire crest, matched with stretch jeans, cotton shorts or trousers.  The look was complete with either a sports jacket or a blazer which had glitzy gold buttons at the cuff. Giving attention to details, the models wore belts which had various designs of the Billionaire crest sitting on the buckle.

Whether the Billionaire man goes for the casual wear or a more made-to-measure kind of look, he can be sure that Billionaire will cater to his craving for the finer things in life.

DKNY

Established by Donna Karan, DKNY is about creating lifestyles. Fresh, easy and outgoing with a certain element of surprise describing the collection presented by DKNY at the fashion show. The SS16 collection is the first DKNY collection designed by Dao-Yi Chow and Maxwell Osborne.  It is easy to see that the collection has been put together keeping in mind the feeling of comfort while retaining the interesting touch.  The collection seemed to be dominated by colours as such navy, feather white, bright red hues and metallic colours. 

While straight cuts were seen on many of the pieces, a touch of the extraordinary took place with a gold pleated accent draped halfway over a pale white crepe top and worn with a metallic gold pleated skirt. Another example was a simple navy blue dress with a sudden burst of sequins of various shapes and sizes conglomerating into a large motif across the front bodice, giving an impression of movement. A pastel white pearl dress made of silk had a high collar which was decked in baubles of glittering beads and perhaps diamante.  Not to forget a beautiful floral lace top in navy blue completed with a long shorts for that perfect casual evening look.  For a bit of playfulness, the pencil skirt is made from metallic silver leather coupled with a similar coloured top which is knitted.