Fashion Forward

So what if the monsoon chooses to elude us sun-baked mortals,it’s certainly raining fashion in the city. After the annual showcase by the Northern India Institute of Fashion Technology (NIIFT) earlier this month,here’s another fashion institute ready to unveil its fashion line-up. Come Friday and a bevy of models will walk the ramp in apparel put together by students of the Mohali-based International Institute of Fashion Technology (IIFT). “It’s our much looked forward to event that will highlight collections designed and executed by our students studying fashion design,garment manufacturing technology and also apparel merchandising,” the institute’s director Kawaljeet Singh mentioned a day prior to the show called ‘Lakshya ‘09’. As many as 17 theme-based collections will be showcased apart from a showstopper line by the label ‘Impressions’ by city-based designer Seema Sharma. Interestingly,all the sequences will do a fashion-forward of sorts. “Instead of spring-summer,the students have designed keeping fall-winter 2009 in mind,” pitched in the institute’s principal Shamir Kaur as she introduced the show’s choreographer,the uber popular Kaushik Ghosh. “It’s really nice to see that fashion is evolving in Chandigarh. Showcasing a fall-winter range is just in line with the way fashion weeks work,” remarked Ghosh who brings with him well-known models like Jaishree Tahiliani,Shipra Malik,Ekta Jaggi,Bharti Hazarika…to list a few. Interestingly,the music for the show has been put together by Ghosh himself. “I like to experiment and this time you’ll see the kind of presentation one associates with the fashion weeks. In fact,I am of the serious opinion that Punjab should have its own fashion week,” Ghosh quipped.

Coming back to the show slated for June 19 at Hotel Shivalik View,city-based designer Seema Sharma will present her winter collection as well. “I have designed a lot of long jackets to go with sarees as I feel they never get worn during winter,” mentioned the designer who was invited to be a part of the show last year as well. “It’s a great platform and a novel way to reach out to a larger audience,” we heard her mention. Here’s looking forward to Friday.