Liza Golden – Image Credit Chanel.com
One of the highlights of yesterday’s lush Chanel‘s pre-fall show was the diverse cast. Amidst familiar Lagerfeld favorites like Arizona Muse and Stella Tennant a host of Indian & Pakistani beauties glided down the runway and caught our attention. Girls like Lakshmi Menon are already bonafide fashion stars, but the show brought a host of newer faces to the Grand Palais. Willowy beauties Jyothsna Chakravarthy, Smita Lasrado, Kelly Gale looked elegant in Chanel’s gold and cream palette. Fresh from the brand’s beauty campaign, Alyssah Ali traisped down the Chanel catwalk. Buzzed about beauty Shanina Shaik proved her versatility by pulling a complete 180 from her sultry Victoria’s Secret look. With her strong brows and refined look Liza Golden radiated classic beauty. Months after Vogue India labeled her the next supermodel Ashika Pratt hit high fashion’s big leagues.
When it comes to presenting a cast that represents the melting pot we all live in, fashion still has a long way to go. It is only in the past few years that brands truly began to embrace Asian models, but as beautiful as the women of South Asia are they are still a rarity on the runway. The theme of Chanel’s pre-fall collection dealt heavily with Indian influences and the casting attempted to reflect that, but out of 70 plus looks only a handful were worn by ethnic models. It remains to be seen if these young ladies will build on this momentum and dominate the catwalks next season, but we’re hoping this is the beginning of a moment.