Ramp Report

Chinese WhispersTHE West has dried up; the East is now the Mecca of all muses. The Far East sets the mood of the moment with cheongsam-inspi...

Chinese Whispers
THE West has dried up; the East is now the Mecca of all muses. The Far East sets the mood of the moment with cheongsam-inspired dresses. JJ Valaya8217;s Tintin in Shangri-La captures the spirit of the traveller8212;long woollen coats that reverse into mesmerising Chinese prints. Tarun Tahiliani8217;s black embroidered dress, ivory backless and decolletage kurta are Indianised takes on the cheongsam. Manish Arora8217;s ode to the East had Chinese collars and obi belts and in case you missed the point, a geisha opening the show.

White Town
WHITE is elegant, no-nonsense and also the most demanding of all colours8212;it constantly wants newer fabric, textures and embellishments. Abu-Sandeep had an entire collection in white8212;quilted tunics, flared skirts, chikan and lots of sheers. Rohit Bal8217;s layered flared skirts, tunics, sari drapes and coats with silver flat sequins and studs were inspired by his home state, Kashmir8212;his collection was dedicated to the first snowfall. Ritu Kumar showed a white linen layered line too.

Animal Kingdom
FAUX fur trimmings peer from Manish Arora8217;s orange short jacket, Tarun Tahiliani8217;s feather-lined hems, and Wendell Rodricks8217; bags, shoes, even a sarong. Arora had running horses printed on his T-shirts, while Sabyasachi cleverly married leopard prints with dusty wallpaper florals.

Summer Holiday
RESORT wear is the buzzword in fashion circles, almost every international biggie has a line dedicated to the holidaying traveller. Closer home, Suneet Varma8217;s big bold prints and colours, and sheer kaftans with hot pants look best on a cruise ship. Krishna Mehta has wispy chiffon shirt dresses, and Wendell Rodricks8217; lounge collection was inspired by the ocean. Raghuvendra Rathore8217;s clothes are safari-bound, with big pockets, knee-high boots, white-jewelled kaftans and jodhpurs. Even a traditional Mughal label like Kotwara Meera 038; Muzaffar came up with a bikini top beneath a sheer ikat kaftan. Need we say more?

Royalty Revisited
THE Empire strikes back, with vintage Victorian served with a twist. A tumult of lace and crochet from Rohit Bal, Victorian collars and neck scarves from Ashish Soni, Rohit Gandhi and Rahul Khanna8217;s Cue baroque-printed velvet turtleneck dress. Namrata Joshipura had a slick modern line of smocked dresses and T-shirts in orange and moss velvet. Coin danglers are the new zardozi8212;Tarun Tahiliani had them on clothes and accessories, Gill on her skirt hems and Rocky S on his mini-lehengas. Knee-length lehengas featured in many collections8212;from Manish Arora and Malini Ramani to Rocky. Luxurious velvet T-shirts are printed on JJ Valaya, jewels are unabashedly displayed Tahiliani. Jamevars Tahiliani and brocade aren8217;t missed Rocky, Arora. And the empire cut dresses Abu-Sandeep, Bal, Narendra Kumar and blouses bring to mind ample bosoms from the turn of the century.

Quotable Coats
JACKETS are the strongest statement of the season, lest you forget it8217;s a fall/winter showing. Coats that sculpt the body are worn with chiffon skirts, palazzos and knee-length skirts. Manish Arora had some warrior jackets, Ashish and Smita Soni had them in tie-and-dye, Rina Dhaka with a drawstring. Bal8217;s were short, floor-length, angrakha-style8212;in quilting, tonal embroidery and flat sequins. Valaya8217;s had reversible prints and button-on shawls. Anamika Khanna made her women androgynous, with ingeniously tailored jackets and square-cut and noodle-stripe applique.

Gypsy Kings
GYPSY skirts are modern versions of a lehenga. Ranna Gill8217;s entire line was an ode to the fortune-telling, nomadic gypsy.

Rococo embroidery Gill, gota Rocky S, Manish Arora, warm spicy colours and paisley motifs Malini Ramani, Kavita Bhartia and mirror work Rocky, Ritu Kumar8212;Indi-kitsch at its best.

Printing Press
EVER since the new-wave international designers developed print fever, prints are spotted everywhere. There are colour innovations, computer graphics, delirious optical illusions and animal motifs too. Manish Arora8217;s now famous pop art has roosters, horses and Cine Blitz covers on his shirts, Suneet Varma has zany polka dots throughout, Wendell Rodricks developed a blue ocean theme, and Shantanu Goenka and Tarun Tahiliani had digitised jewels. Sabyasachi8217;s line was incredible purely because of his dull wallpaper prints, and Anamika Khanna had a beautiful mosaic leitmotif running through her collection.