Haut Spot: We are one!

The theme of ‘One’ found its way into every aspect of our anniversary issue. Even the Hotspot had to be one-of-its kind. So we invited MAHE Manipal Dubai campus, Dubai’s premier fashion institute, to join us to celebrate by dressing the aspiring Lebanese model Lana Wehbe in what has come to be known as the XPRESS dress.

The result of the collaboration – a beautiful rosette-inspired outfit made out of old issues of XPRESS.

Yes, a novelty dress made completely out of newsprint. And this was achieved by a design team of MAHE institute comprising Kailash Menon, a teacher of fashion design, and Amrita Laxmi Rajgopalan, a student at the institute.

Doing something like this is a kind of vent for your expression. Kailash Menon, Senior Lecturer, Manipal University

It took six hours of toil – from concept to creation – and newsprint worth six copies of XPRESS to put together the 500gm bustier-and-skirt combo that adorns this issue’s hotspot and, of course, the cover page.

Speaking about his experience with the creation Kailash, 34, who has also worked as a fashion designer, said the process was more spur-of-the-moment that planned.

“It was something very spontaneous. Normally creating a design goes through a cerebral process, but it is more exciting when it is intuitive because you are discovering new things as you go along. Doing something like this is a kind of vent for your expression.

“The stability of the paper gives you different direction. The effect given by the crispy quality of the paper is prevented by the fall of the fabric.”

His biggest challenge, he said, was the limitation posed by paper’s tendency to tear.

A limitation that makes Kailash’s feat rare.

If making it was not easy, putting it on and posing in it was no less tricky. Something Lana did with a lot of aplomb and élan.

“I am very happy to be part of the anniversary issue of XPRESS, more so because I am a big fan of the newspaper.

“I loved the dress. I think it was very creative and unique,” said Lana.