Did Chanel copy photographer Vishesh Verma?

This week, focus on > Deciding whether a French luxury brand's ad is inspired by an Indian one > Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut's pant suit ensemble sexy or slimy? > Where you can find Phulkari-embroidered outfits for Lohri that's celebrated today

Chanel's Collection Premiere ad

Jewelex's Opulence ad shot by Vishesh Verma

This week, focus on
> Deciding whether a French luxury brand's ad is inspired by an
Indian oneu00a0u00a0
> Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut's pant suit ensemble sexy or slimy?
> Where you can find Phulkari-embroidered outfits for Lohri that's celebrated today

Delhi-based photographer Vishesh Verma says he's not interested in a blame game. But he admits it's heartening to find out that India isn't always the one to come up with outdated ideas. A year ago, Verma shot an advertisement for Jewelex's Opulence diamond bracelet, featuring model Yasmin Ponappa. Clad in a little black dress, Ponappa lies on her side, resting herself on the elbow of an arm that flashes the jewelled trinket.

Chanel, the iconic Parisian luxury brand, released its Collection Premiu00c3u00a9re ads in fashion magazines, which Verma claims are inspired by his.

Photographed by Dominique Issermann, the Chanel ad features French actress Anna Mouglalis'u00a0 lying on her side, wearing a bikini that's hardly in view, leaving the watch on her wrist to grab all the attention. The black and white composition, the pose, the subtle seductiveness, quietly point to similarities with the Opulence ad, Verma says. "What if the sequence were reversed? If we had done it after them, wouldn't have fingers been pointed? It would've been hinted that we were 'inspired'. The Indian fashion industry has been criticised for aping the West, and doing a substandard job at that. I am only glad that the tables have turned."

Spokesperson for Chanel (India), Marielou Phillips, can't quite see what the hullabaloo is about. "I don't really know what Vishesh wants. Personally, I don't see any resemblance except for the fact that both ads feature women, and are shot in black and white. Anna (Mouglalis ) is wearing a bikini, Yasmin has got a black dress on.

The hand position is different. Where's the similarity? Where would Chanel, or anyone from the brand have had the opportunity to view the Indian ad?" she asks.

In Bollywood

Boys in the girl's room
Girls in the men's room
Free your mind in your androgyny
Many fashionistas might argue that feminism was built on the trouser suits created by late French designer Yves St Laurent in the 1960s, with the good-humoured US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton suggesting that she opted for this ensemble to withstand the heat from Democratic opponents in 2008. But it took a gritty Kangana Ranaut to drag it to the Indian shores. She ditched the conventional trouser, and sneaked into skinny pants, worn with black pumps, a tie, waistcoat and a blazer over a crisp white shirt.u00a0u00a0u00a0

All a woman needed to be fashionable was a pair of pants, a sweater and a raincoat
Late French designer Yves Saint Laurent, who liberated the working woman by inventing trouser suits in the sixties

On American TV
With a lot of help from stylist Patricia Field, American television's favourite fashion pin-up star Sarah Jessica Parker wore this revolutionary ensemble for the publicity stills for Sex and The City-The Movie. The pink pinstripe shirt teamed with ivory pants and waistcoat, gave the otherwise razor sharp outfit a girly, impish touch.

In Milan
Hottie Italian star Monica Bellucci abandoned pretty dresses that work well for her voluptuous frame, to pick up a functional pinstripe suit when she attended Dolce & Gabbana fashion show in September last year.

In Paris
Italian designer Stefano Pilati for Yves Saint Laurent, introduced this luxuriously slouchytrouser suit ensemble during the spring/ summer 2009 ready-to-wear collection show, October last year.

German designer Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel gave a spin to the conventional outfit by adding a corset and cropped jacket, and accessorising it with multi-strand glittering beads and chains, during the spring/summer 2009 ready-to-wear collection show in October last year.

At the Oscars
Famously known as Woody Allen's female counterpart, Hollywood actress Diana Keaton's penchant for trouser suits and neckties began when she essayed the role of androgynous dresser Annie Hall in Allen's film by the same name in 1977. Keaton wore this tuxedo for the 2004 Oscars, where she was nominated for her role in Something's Gotta Give.

Coz we are a fashion family
Samsaara, the multi-designer boutique, has brought together 18 designers to participate in their charity-fest titled, I Love Mumbai. This week-long exhibition, on till January 17, features designer wear from Surily Goel, Manish Malhotra, Deepika Gehani, Malini Agarwal, Rocky S, Prashant Verma, Charu Parashar, Satya Paul, Falguni & Shane Peacock to name a few. The boutique claims it will set aside a percentage of the sales for the rehabilitation programmes for the Mumbai terror victims.
At Samsaara, Dhanraj Mahal, Apollo Bunder, Colaba.
Call 22023061/62

Shop at SoBo to celebrate Lohri
With its style of work embedded in its name, Phulkari embroidery is known for its floral motifs and warm colour scheme yellows, reds, oranges, and greens. Find this embroidery on borders of cotton dupattas and shawls (Rs 1,500 onwards), kurta yolks (Rs 3,000), and bangles and purses (Rs 250 onwards) ordered straight from Chandigarh.
At Metro House, first floor, Hughes Road, opposite Vijay Jewellers, Chowpatty.
Call 23612751