Biker Chic - To Be Or Not To Be

To think of Biker Chic in Mumbai weather is akin to committing fashion suicide. Imagine. Me. On a local train in Mumbai. Twelve women rubbing against me (Don’t ask how that happens. You don’t want to know). And my leather jacket making me sweat gallons of liquid out of my system. I arrive in office drenched in sweat, smelling, cranky. Not sexy!

So biker Chic is, let’s just face it and throw in the towel, not for Mumbai women. We live out our life in airy cotton tunics, and tees. But that doesn’t mean that we can’t drool over the chains and zippers galore that the fall fashion is bringing back into our life.

I saw these lovelies on Glamour Magazine’s website and shed tears. My favourite is the Alex McQueen Biker Rings Clutch Bag. Super! The Satin and Chain High Sandals by Camilla Skovgaard bring sexy back, and the Miss Selfridge Leather Biker Jacket, along with the Studded Bangles will do any fashion goddess proud.Desires, I say. Maybe some other city, some other life. Meanwhile Angelina Jolie can slip into her leather shifts and look gorgeous. I’ll have a cotton tunic, on the rocks, please.

Nick Knight - Beasting

I recently rediscovered BEASTING, an arresting body of work from ace photographer Nick Knight, a result of his decade long professional relationship with John Galliano. An intense shoot for Arena Homme +, Beasting features the Autumn Winter 2007 collection of John Galliano’s menswear line. Nick Knight, who calls his association with Galliano a source of ‘continual stimulation’, has
captured a visually powerful brawny spectacle.

Knight’s reputation for pushing technical and creative boundaries is on full display here. After having worked on several controversial issues, ranging from racism, disability, ageism and fat-ism, Knight’s shots of the brawny males depict militaristic ritual and untamed pagan energy.



The cover image shows an intimidating man-beast with six arms, a fascinating symbol of hyper-masculinity. The brawny beast wears the headpieces, and garments of John Galliano’ menswear collection. The shots are a disturbing and fascinating blend of combative and sexual frenzy, where limbs and bodies seem to merge into one another. It’s indomitably a man’s space, with overtones of war and rough-play.




The man behind the shoot, celebrated photographer Nick Knight, refers to his body of work as ‘an ongoing communication, a response to events’. Nick’s work for publications includes i-D, Vogue, Dazed & Confused, The Face and Visionaire. His list of clients features Yohji Yamamoto, Christian Dior, YSL, Björk, Alexander McQueen, Massive Attack, and Calvin Klein. Apart from these big names, he has also worked with Jil Sander, Louis Vuitton, Vivienne Westwood, and Comme des Garçons’ Rei Kawakubo.