City as Muse

Archana Kochhar’s collection is based on the idea of dressing up for a resort wedding. She extends her signature checks on to the scenes from the life of a Mumbaikar,giving the title of Mumbai Checkmate to her collection. “When you have to attend a wedding at a resort,you don’t want to go all bling but still want to dress up. Besides,I was born and brought up in this city and when I think of fashion,I am inspired by my surroundings,” says Kochhar,whose show is scheduled for March 26. Her languid and easy silhouettes include kaftans,gown-inspired saris,dhoti-style pants,floor-length anarkalis,lehengas and jackets. They are dotted with quirky motifs such as public buses,the nimboo-mirchi that one finds on Mumbai taxis,and the city skyline. She has worked with organic silk and cotton,with transparent neon cut outs in poppy yellow,electric orange and bubblegum pink.

Bazaar Buzz 

When Pallavi Jain and her team were brainstorming for their collection to be showcased at LFW Summer/Resort 2013,they decided to head out to the bazaars of Jaipur. “The bazaar is so diversified; it has a different look in the day and a different one at night. Every street has its own charm. My collection is a journey through the entire bazaar — from the masalewalo ki gulli filled with spicy yellows and reds,to the Johari bazaar glittering with gold and meenakari work,” says Jain. She has sourced the raw materials from the bazaars for her line called BUZZar. The ensembles are a mix of easy flowing and form-fitting silhouettes in georgette,chiffon and mulmul.

Kutch Connection 

Designer Preeti Wanchoo has revisited Kutch and Bhuj in Gujarat to seek inspiration for her collection that was showcased at a Talent Box show on March 24. “This is my first fashion show at a fashion week,and I wanted to take inspiration from where it all started for me — Gujarat. I studied fashion designing in Gujarat and during those days,travelled extensively to remote locations in Kutch and Bhuj to work with Ajrakh printers. I would doodle designs on the way,” says Wanchoo. In her line,she captures elements of the Kutchi lifestyle with motifs such as peacocks,camels,kites and basic geometric shapes — circles,squares and triangles — that decorate the clusters of houses as they stand out against the arid land. She has used Maheswari silk in shades of lime,bright red,off-white and natural colours for maxi dresses,shirt dresses,skirts and tie-up dresses.