Dresses and Dispatches

Her husband Rajesh Pratap Singh is the fashion world’s perennial darling,but Payal Pratap is quickly standing tall by herself. An utterly clever and commercial line inspired by the chintz prints,which Europe fell in love with in India,in delightful Indian fabrics such as chanderi. There were short jackets layered over salwar pants and full-sleeved shirts over full-length skirts teased with a seductive little tulle petticoat.

Masaba for Wendell Rodricks

When she tweeted that her life would come full circle on Saturday night,none of Masaba Gupta’s several thousand followers had an inkling. Gupta showed up as the showstopper for her former teacher Wendell Rodricks superbly breezy Africa-inspired line. Rodricks made the most of his signature slits and sliced sleeves for this resort line. Our favourites were the looped trousers and sari dress. And La Masaba too.

Josh Goraya

The loudest cheers were saved for one of Delhi’s best-kept secrets. Josh Goraya is the former assistant to one of the most celebrated fashion labels in the country — Cue,by Rohit Gandhi and Rahul Khanna. His finely tailored and au courant mismatched prints of western prêt were teamed with columnular cuts and matching knapsacks. Of course his mentors were on the front row cheering the loudest.

Péro’s notebooks

Aneeth Arora’s textile journey followed the polka dot through Gujarat,Rajasthan,Andhra Pradesh,Uttar Pradesh and Bengal. Her rolled-out-of-bed vintage slips may not have impressed us as much,but how cute are these giveaways?

Pankaj and Nidhi’s stall

The hands-down stars this fashion season,Pankaj and Nidhi’s jaw-dropping-good collection met with an appropriate response. Their stall was the buzziest as we found out while we rolled in for a quick look. It featured a very special line of feather-light neoprene appliqués on flimsy net,riotous prints and their chic silhouettes. They even had a model outside their stall dressed from their new line who changed hourly. A clever touch indeed.

Antidote

Besides the latest fashions,the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week is also an epicurean delight. Pop-up restaurants of Olive and Smoke House Deli are constants in recreating their gourmet spaces,as are stalls of Vijay Arora’s Vinto Gelato. This season two new welcomed additions were Jaideep Sippy’s health snacks Missisippy and fabulous organic juices by Antidote. Antidote bottles were soon being shown off by models and editors leading the fashion pack.

CellDSGN denims

Shani Himanshu and Smita Singh Rathore of the label 11.11 by CellDSGN have tied up with Arvind Mills to bring out a line of 100 per cent handmade denims. These are lightweight khadi denims supported by a surrogate line of khadi cotton and jamdani innerwear. The buttons are 20-paise coins and one front pocket has the name of the jeans-maker with the date embroidered on it. An absolutely delightful enterprise in taking artisanal crafts to the global uniform.