Runway success

Two models saunter down the ramp sporting candy floss wired mesh on their head.

Two models saunter down the ramp sporting candy floss wired mesh on their head. Another catwalker wears a helmet with a model of an airplane on it. Innovation like this was only seen in fancy-dress competitions in school, but hey, whoever said that fashion must take itself seriously?

Escape and fantasy are two elements that comprise Shilpa Chavan8217;s zany world. The 34-year-old accessory designer, who gob-smacked a hall-full of breathless people at the recent Lakme Fashion Week, clearly had a ball on the runway. Her label, Little Shilpa, mocks her diminutive frame she8217;s just about five-feet in her flourescent socks, sent out colourful streamers, plastic, crochet, wire, paper, glass pieces, feathers, Barbie dolls, GI Joes, bulbs, Christmas tree 8211; every thing that she could lay her hands on.

8220;My collection derived inspiration from the street life of Mumbai; the chaos and the diverse nature of the city,8221; says Chavan.

Unassuming and sweet, Chavan8217;s demure personality was in sharp contrast to the over-the-top accessories and headgear. Unaffected by the adulation her show had brought her, she says: 8220;I got an opportunity to show here and I decided to scale down my installations into wearable accessories.8221; But not all of them could be classified as wearable ones. 8220;It was a mix of show pieces and other accessories. When you get an opportunity to show, you cannot just stick to wearable. You have to go berserk and fuel your imagination as much as possible,8221; she reasons.

Born and raised in Mumbai, Chavan8217;s tryst with design started at the SNDT University, after which she moved to Central Saint Martins Summer School in London for a short-term course in designing. Soon, she handcrafted accessories and headgear for runway shows, fashion shoots and ad campaigns and worked in collaboration with top designers like Tarun Tahiliani, Manish Arora and Wendell Rodricks. Of late, she had been working as an installation artist, crafting pieces that take local inspiration, before she decided to present her first commercial collection at the Week.

8220;I have worked individually on all my pieces and hence no two pieces are similar. The use of common raw materials made sure that the audience could relate to it,8221; says the designer. The markets at Lohar Chawl, Bhuleshwar and Kalbadevi have been her biggest source of inspiration. She recalls a trip there when she saw a beautiful brocade sari, a dying art now, and desperately felt the need to preserve it. 8220;I bought the sari, cut it out and embedded it in acrylic to make it into a stylish neckpiece so that it could last for posterity.8221;

Designing was what she always wanted to venture into. 8220;But clothes I thought were very restrictive,8221; she says. Now there8217;s a thought.