Tags:
Journalism of Courage
A hint of celebrities and some elegant collections made up for an otherwise slow day at the fashion weeks
If nothing else, you can count on Rohit Bal to pull in the crowds. Day three at the Delhi Fashion Week was packed to capacity for the first time at DFW. In any case, with Bal, in equal parts showman and designer, boredom is unlikely. The flat runway of DFW had been transformed into a gossamer field of of pink organza. Bal8217;s spring summer show began with a model arising from within the cloud of organza, dressed in a layered outfit.
Bal8217;s collection was more couture than pret. Lavishly constructed silhouettes and generous layerings in yellows and oranges for full bodied skirts patterned out of cones and dresses fashioned out of pouffed squares. As usual, Bal ended with a flourish, throwing handfuls of organza confetti at the audience then heading to the afterparty at Ai.
But if it8217;s austerity we8217;re talking about in these crazy times of global recession, Varun Bahl showed how to practice it to perfection at his spring-summer show at the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week WIFW in front of a full house that had fellow designers like Manish Arora, Rajesh Pratap Singh, Manoviraj Khosla, Ritu Kumar in attendance. With sheer fabrics and basic colours like ivory, olive, salmon pink and beige, Bahl spun out a collection that was at once existential and elegant, spartan and sophisticated. Macrame, crochet, net and hints of lace were interestingly juxtaposed with linen, his characteristic rosettes back in knotted necklines and belts. The menswear had a touch of androgyny to it, but stood out for its sheer versatility. Timeless and very graceful.
