Signature India

Cross Border Sarism

Made from woven Ilkal (a kind of sari that takes its name from a town in Karnataka),Bangalore-based designer Deepika Govind’s collection ‘The Woman in Blue Checks: Cauvery’s Tale’ won applause for its strong theme. A contemporary interpretation of Ilkal,a rural weave,the line also had applique,cutwork,consciously frayed edges and surface embellishment on silk and cotton weaves. The textiles came from Salem,Chettinad,Narayanpet,Venkatgiri and Kanchivaram. Govind,who has worked with important revival projects with Mysore silk,Ikat and Andhra Uppada before is known in the industry as a good conceptualist. This time her silhouettes worked too and she managed the asymmetric hemlines of tunics well. Saris draped in the Coorgi style were a treat to watch.

Newton and New York

Bibhu Mohapatra’s first show in India on Saturday at LFW had the New York designer showcase an interesting line inspired by the unpublished polaroids of celebrated photographer Helmut Newton. The colour palette had soft pastels like nude,pink,ivory and lavender,besides stronger shades such as emerald green,navy blue,azure and vermillion. The silhouettes comprised long gowns,pleated skirts with laser cut inserts,cropped jackets,trousers and a few dhoti pants too. With the fine silk ribbon embroidery,sharp cuts and clever drapes,the collection had a global appeal. The fabrics ranged from cotton canvas and voile to chiffon,georgette,satin and lace. Mohapatra ensured that even when he used wool and knit,they didn’t seem out of place at a Summer/Resort show.

Long Run

Flowers in different colours took centre stage at Krishna Mehta’s Summer/Resort collection at LFW on the textile day. There was a series of long kurtas paired with flowing lehengas. Churi (akin to a churidar) sleeves left dangling over the wrist instead of being bunched up added a new touch. Moreover,Mehta showed a lot of bright summer colours such as orange,yellow,pink and red. One of the prettiest ensembles was a white sharara with large flowers and a red-printed border,paired with a beautifully cut orange choli and an orange-hued sheer kurta. The skillfully constructed outfits along with rich brocades and cotton cutwork made it an elegant collection.