On a Gilt Trip

The Delhi edition of IIJW (from April 12 – 15) will see a potpourri of 14 designers and brands showcase their latest collections on the ramp with IIJW brand ambassador Sonam Kapoor leading the way. An admirer of traditional Indian jewellery,Kapoor who has made an impression of being a well-dressed actor,feels it’s time for Indian jewellery to shine. “I have been a part of IIJW since it started. The uncut diamonds and jadau jewellery is something to look forward to this year. I personally love statement jewellery,” she says.

Kothari hints at the increasing use of other metals and contemporary designs. “Designers are constantly innovating and there are collections where wood has been used as well,” he says.

For jewellery designer Rosily Paul who will show on day one,her collection ‘The Layers’ is inspired by the “inquisitiveness of opening a multi-layered gift.” “For IIJW 2013,I have created designs which are contemporary and include a few futuristic elements as well,” says Paul.

Designer Pooja Juneja on day two will present her collection called ‘Conflation’. “Conflation occurs when the identities of two or more individuals,concepts,or places,sharing some characteristics of one another fuse to form a single identity and the differences appear to be lost. Similarly,in each handcrafted piece in this collection we have treated two distinct concepts as if they are one,” says the designer who has used modern diamond settings on a Mughal jaali work and also paired traditional peacock motifs with Oriental tattoo designs to take the concept further. The event will also see collections by major jewellery players such as Hazoorilal Jewellers,PC Jewellers,Gitanjali,Birdhichand Ghanshyamdas,Rio Tinto and Kays Jewels.

It’s become de rigueur to have celebrities,Bollywood actors mostly,walk for fashion events and this year’s edition will play this up even more. While Kapoor will inaugurate the event,Vicky Donor’s leading lady Yami Gautam will walk for Rio Tinto,model-actor Lara Dutta will be the showstopper for Birdhichand Ghanshyamdas and Chitrangadha Singh will close for Hazoorilal on day one. Actors Neha Dhupia,Juhi Chawla,and Zeenat Aman will be the highlights on day two with Jacqueline Fernandes as the showstopper for PC Jewellers on the finale.