PARIS
characteristically chic
While the lust-worthy position of being the world’s cradle of couture and prêt-a-porter is now shared with Tokyo, Milan, London and New York, how does Paris continue to reign as the fashion capital of the world? What sets the ‘Grande Dame’ apart even today? Well, the Christian Louboutin pumps with their red soles are just one of the many signatures. The birthplace of brands like Chanel, Yves St Laurent and Dior, Paris combines aura, a couture secret know-how and prodigious elegance through a blend of society, arts, and of course, money to spend on social life and ‘representation’. Paris has now shifted from being the centre of gravity for haute couture to reviving some of the great fashion houses like Balenciaga, Chloe, Balmain and my very favourite Lanvin. It has also become a hotbed of prêt-a-porter and indie designers like Vanessa Bruno, Isabel Marant, Paul & Joe.

But the real show is on the streets, in the markets and the cafes…. What strikes one now is how Paris takes it all, sorts it out, keeps the essence, and throws it back with the stamp of fashion. Here you look at fashion, but you are also looked at. Crowds are international, so are the festivals, cinemas, art galleries and restaurants. The city is so striking and versatile, so grand yet familiar, so small yet so right for human rhythm. A unique alchemy of beauty, culture, cinema and street art. After all, the word ‘chic’ belongs to the French and Paris does have the final word on it. In Paris, it’s fashion week every day, on the street.

Streets Walks and City Buys

• Le Bon Marche for the latest Serge Lutens perfume to the best selection from Vanessa Bruno.
• Walk around St Germain des Pres.
• Step in to Tara Jarmon for some lovely cocktail dresses.
• Get rock ’n’ roll at Zadig & Voltaire.
• Bourgeois Bohemian (“BoBo”) at Antik Batik.
• L’Artisan Parfumeur and Annick Goutal for new fragrances.
• Franck & Fils for being one of the oldest and the most high fashion department stores of Paris.
• Walk on Rue De Rennes for shoes.
• Stroll on Rue du Four for clothes (fashion and high street).
• Make a trip to Montmartre – Rue des Abbesses and around for Indie designers or to Marais on Sunday when nothing else is open.

Srimoyi Bhattacharya
Co-founder, Peepul Consulting, BORN AND BROUGHT UP IN THE FRENCH CAPITAL

NEW YORK
a Manhattan march
‘The New York Look’ is unquestionably trendy, hip and well put together. The uniqueness of the New York shopping experience is that it is has something for everyone – the cash-strapped college student, the young professional looking for a practical wardrobe, the compulsive brand-obsessed shopper.

Streets Walks and City Buys

• Fabulous department stores: Macy’s, Bloomingdales, Saks Fifth Avenue, the very posh Barneys and Bergdorf Goodman.
• Soho: big names juxtaposed with street vendors that have unique accessories and quirky unbranded designer boutiques.
• Broadway: the most commercial strip; think Kenneth Cole, Banana Republic, Sephora, A/X Armani Exchange, Steve Madden and Prada’s flagship store. Club Monaco for great fitting pants and stylish accessories as well as Urban Outfitters, for their kitschy, alternative style.
• Nolita (north of Little Italy) with Calypso, a boutique that has the best resort wear lines, sexy beach tunics and silk dresses as well as designer Tory Burch’s main store; both ideal stops before a weekend getaway in the Hamptons.
• The hip Meat Packing District boasts an impressive collection of eclectic designer boutiques like Catherine Malandrino, Diane von Furstenberg, Stella McCartney and Christian Louboutin. Must-do here: Scoop NYC, a quintessential New Yorker’s shop to find the coolest pieces, and brands like Alice + Olivia and Theory.
• On Fifth Avenue (all the way to 57th Street and across): Hendri Bendel, Tiffany & Co., and designers like Louis Vuitton, Versace, Chanel, Dior and Cartier have flagships along Fifth.

Hina Oomer-Ahmed
Fashion stylist and writer who made NYC her base for almost a decade

LONDON
of head and heart
Let’s leave the numbers to the wanker bankers at La Défense while London keeps flying the Irreverent flag high. Even whilst a wide-eyed design school student in Kolkata, I always related to London vis-à-vis fashion movements. London’s never seemed to be part of a race in declaring itself as a Fashion Capital/Cesspool (choose as you please). Sure you have design houses and labels eager to make a shift to the Paris/Milan runways once they prove their worth at London Fashion Week, but there is no discounting the fact that the city with the not-so-stiff upper lip welcomed their rawness and hyperactive energy first.

As accepting a city could never be found and you would be hard-pressed to find one which constantly changes notions of fashion. Until a decade ago London was known as the city which produced designers by the score who in turn produced T-shirt collections by the dozen. Not any more. You have exciting labels producing complete collections and some even have garments which are silk-lined (shocked; my ‘Milan rocks!’ badge-wearing colleagues?). The city gives off an adventurous vibe the moment you set foot in it; you always come across people willing to push the boundaries; a perennial thirst for newness coupled with a manic devotion to old school methods. Where else will you find places such as Dover Street Market and H. Huntsman & Sons at Savile Row sharing the same devoted clientele? The creative chaos of the London fashion industry gets reflected onto the high street fashion culture in the city. With retail stores like Topshop presenting lines at fashion week, and New Generation Awards (and the likes) keeping younger labels afloat, British fashion has always thought out of the box.

We would be naïve (for lack of a rude word), however, if we thought creativity was the only selling point, London had to offer. Nowhere else are points of views more diverse nor is it a one trick pony like other ‘fashion’ cities. For this London has its art and design schools to thank. Be it Central St. Martins or Royal College of Art, designers bearing nationalities across the globe graduate, work in design houses and start their labels in London thus making it one of the most inspiring cities to be in. While the city may have the most creative brains in the world at work, where it scores over all its other counterparts is that unlike the others (Paris, Milan take note), London has heart.

Kallol Datta
Designer, alumni of Central St Martin’s, London

MILAN
Milan is the ‘alternative’ side of Italy, embodying all that is chic and sophisticated in Italian culture. Think haute couture, haute cuisine, contemporary design, supreme opera, tasteful galleries and museums, spacious piazzas and world-class shopping. Inventive and original, Milan is the only place I know where an up-market fishmonger – da Claudio – transforms superbly into a cocktail bar serving delicious seafood nibbles, come dusk. The city’s hotel scene has undergone a sea change recently and now caters to all tastes and needs, from classic Liberty décor to edgy boutique hotels with massage beds and spas. It’s a city for people-watching and discovering the latest trends. Shopping has evolved into an experience in Milan with clothing boutiques that are bars, bars that are book shops, tea shops that hold ceramic courses and plant centres where you can get a massage.

Streets Walks and City Buys

• The luxury stores of the Golden Triangle.
• Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II: the world’s oldest shopping mall.
• Art galleries and eateries of Brera.
• The Tortona design quarter.
• The Triennale Art Museum.
• Historic landmarks such as the Duomo and the Sforzesco Castle.
• The flea market and quirky stores along the Navigli waterways.
• Blitz for vintage posters, unique objects and collector items and everything from kitsch to modern.
• A.N.G.E.L.O. for vintage designer creations.
• Valextra for beautifully crafted leather goods.
• The Black Saint for collector editions of favourite jazz musicians and sounds of new artistes.
• Corso Como: a 13000 sq ft space encompassing a photography and design gallery, a bookstore, designer clothing, accessories, must-have luxury goods, a garden bar and restaurant.
• The Aveda Spa or the Porta Romana Hamam for recharge treatments.
• Fioraio Bianchi, one of the oldest and most famous of Milan’s florists, for the fragrance of fresh flowers, which metamorphoses into a small and romantic restaurant in the evening.
• The understated La Latteria di Maria that serves Italian home cooking, amid Milan’s elite.
• La Terza Carbonaia for a delicious Fiorentina steak.
• Pier Giuseppe Moroni for a haircut.
• Marco at Namu Hair for last-minute styling.
• Donatella Pellini for a great selection of funky, alternative jewellery.
• Fifth Design by Gaetano Pesce for contemporary design objects for the home.
• F. Pettinaroli for exquisite stationery.
• Milano Libri for a dose of inspiration where Alessandro reveals his treasure trove of design, art, photography, anthropology and fashion books.

Sanchita Ajjampur
Designer, who spends a large part of her year in Milan

TOKYO
sartorial sensations
Tokyo breathes fashion; YSL-clad students going to class, Prada-toting high school kids, Chanel addicts and millions of Louis Vuittons come at you down the streets – that’s Nippon! I also revel in Tokyo’s freedom of fashion, the fact that no one bats an eyelid if I decide to leave my house channelling Gwen Stefani through my lipstick, ra-ra skirt and knee high socks. Most importantly I love Tokyo because it’s filled with millions like me who wander the city’s streets with just one mission in mind – to discover their own brand of sartorial energy and adventure.

Streets Walks and City Buys

• Denim: Japan is the source of the most sought after denim in the world. The strong weave and natural indigo dyes have earned them universal acclaim for their vintage appeal. But the label of labels is Heddie Lovu – think dyeing 14 times in pure indigo from India, with hand-stitching that results in an immaculate fit and super stiff fall.
• Men’s shopping: Isetan for Men where you can unleash your inner playboy with Zegna made-to-order or Santa Maria Novella perfumes, to the avant-garde Via Bus Stop Homme (check out the extreme sports inspired casual shoes here).
• Stop by Issey Miyake to the giant Yohji Yamamoto and Rei Kawakubo for their latest stock.
• Go to the cult store Loveless (where John Galliano and Karl Lagerfeld shop) for newcomers often called the ‘New Romantics’: wonderful knits from Ato or the genius street wear pioneer Undercover. It also stocks a great music collection and a formidable selection of Akira comics in English.
• The Kira-Kira project: a post-punk hot pink toys and clothes destination for the Lady Gagas of the world. It’s a collaboration between cool Tokyoites- Dresscamp designer, Toshikazu Iwaya, Memoirs of a Geisha actress, Kaori Momoi and stylist Tetsuro Nagase. Locals head here for Tamashii-kun, Shigeru-kun, Muupiru Seaser, Kumapiru, and Oui Oui, the soft, expressionless, and strangely inspiring dolls you could buy, all in cloth.

Jahnvi Dameron Nandan
Writer of style and trends and erstwhile Tokyo resident

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