Opening Scene

Day one of the Wills India Fashion Week began with Gauri-Nainika8217;s collection. We liked the Grecian drapes and the fluid silhouettes, particularly the siblings8217; ingenuous way of working the single shoulder strap in some of the dresses.

It was just another day of shows at the two fashion weeks in Delhi

Day one of the Wills India Fashion Week began with Gauri-Nainika8217;s collection. We liked the Grecian drapes and the fluid silhouettes, particularly the siblings8217; ingenuous way of working the single shoulder strap in some of the dresses. The pretty constructions that the two have created out of tulle and shaded or printed chiffon were show stoppers, however, it appeared that a few of the garments had been finished in a hurry.

The WIFW, being held in Hall No. 7 of Pragati Maidan, the venue of the Week has been done up with installations by Alex Davies, Gautam Seth and Prateek Jain of Klove Studio and designer Manish Arora. The number of stalls at one end of the hall might have dwindled but everything seems more organised, at least on the opening day. 8220;There8217;s not going to be a dull moment. There are great shows, lots of buyers and enough buzz. Just wait and watch,8221; an affable Sunil Sethi from the Fashion Design Council of India FDCI, assures the guests. Amen.

Meanwhile, the second day at the Delhi Fashion Week began with designer Sonam Dubal8217;s sparsely attended show8212; flowing kaftans, bakhu skirts, silk wrap blouses, tunics and dainty kimonos. Gallerist Mamta Singhania of Anant art gallery and model Nisha Singh were spotted sitting on the front row. Dubal8217;s 8220;My Memory Garden8221; meandered between Victorian style silk hand-printed capes and old fashioned Indian sensibilities. Model Millen sauntered down the runway in a cream cutwork embroidered dress to the melodic chirping of the birds followed by a jade green dress paired with balloon sleeves. 8220;The collection is an ode to nature. It harks back to another era when people had time to enjoy their surroundings,8221; shared the Delhi-based designer backstage. Tunics were teamed with hand woven capes, while a cream khadi kurta and an orange churidar was paired with a silk striped jacket. As the music changed, so did the mood 8212; model Fleur Xavier walked down the cardboard strip in a faded gold sequined Tibetan bakhu skirt with a Mexican striped bag. The showstopper was a mauve gown with a hand-printed jacket with motifs.