Journalism of Courage
Neha Agarwal presented a fascinating women's wear collection ‘Mithila in Soho’ during Lakmé Fashion Week Winter/Festive 2017. The clothes spoke of a raw and bold look in a range of contemporary evening wear inspired by Madhubani Art and Chitrangada Singh looked absolutely stunning in a printed trumpet dress that was daringly revealing yet mesmerisingly beautiful in multi-colours and striking embroidery.
Art works were brought to life by hand embroidery derived from the age-old weaving techniques of Uktu. The collection was a mix of sharp tailoring, blended with conventional fits. Sheath dresses with predominant colourful Madhubani prints caused a sensation on the ramp. Showcasing diversity in their design aesthetics and overall versatility were a range of cropped tops, bell bottoms, tent dresses, palazzos, jumpsuits, skirts and shorts that were teamed with jackets that made the ensembles inventive yet commercial. Detailing such as ribbed collars, panels, plackets and hems along with embroidered prints and knits gave the perfect combination of style, glamour and energy.
For fashion with an artistic palette, a range of stretch, suede and handloom matka silks were merged with studio knitted rayon and silk zari knits. A new fabric was witnessed that seamlessly blended Lycra with Banarasi silk yarns for a young comfortable and modern look. Muted earth tones like indigo, ochre, terracotta, along with warmer hues like chestnut, burgundy and vermillion served as a base for all the garments.
The Indigene label by Ruchi Tripathi and Jaya Bhatt has always been an advocate of sustainable fashion. At Lakmé Fashion Week Winter/Festive 2017, their collection was a nostalgic journey of life, memories and dreams that brought into focus the recreated fabrics, creatively stitched and fashionably patched to perfection, which offered an innovative collection. The fabrics included Khadi silk, cotton and Chanderi, which were either turned into fluid, easy, relaxed, unconventional, silhouettes as well as used in blends or as, patched accents.
The very Zen like look had a mix of traditional as well as western silhouettes. The kedia inspired tops were layered; kimono style shirts looked relaxed, while the drop waist dress was comfort oriented. Pleats appeared for dresses and skirts and the drop- shoulder coats, floppy wide pants and unstructured shapes were layered to perfection.
Launching their menswear line for Winter/Festive 2017 the ensembles stayed true to the brand's identity as shirts, pants and stylish jackets were hand crafted with artisanal fabrics in masculine comfort wear. Menswear matched the look of the collection with loose ombré coats, some pin tucked versions, detailed denim shirts and a profusion of layering. The colour palette was earthy as always, with a predominant entry of indigo followed by charcoal grey, black and asparagus with sharp additions of khaki, alizarin red and icy blue.
Exploring the works of famed artists Paul Cezanne, Pablo Picasso, Amrita Sher Gil along with Matisse and Frieda Kahlo, Rina Singh dreamt up an artistic collection with her label EKA at Lakmé Fashion Week Winter/Festive 2017. Giving a lyrical title to the collection 'Once Before, an Artist's Wardrobe and Her Story' Rina sent out an utterly, poetic line.
Soft, gentle, layering has always been the leitmotif of EKA, so it was expected that Rina's fabric story had to start with washed and over dyed linen, linen zari, linen wool, and silk blend with metallic yarns. Wool played a major role as merino, blends and boiled block prints versions, along with printed silk forms, as well as herringbone silk wool and jamdaani appeared in light counts. Gathered smocks with tonal embroidery, pea coats, and blousons with discreet gold work, pinafores, front-tied soft coats and low waist dresses made for a nice sight.
Lace played an important role and scalloped hemlines added a delicate touch. The colour palette comprised grey, indigo, crème and charcoal along with nude, washed dower, teal, indigo and blush pink.
Nikita Mhaisalkar with her label named after her, offered a range of flamboyant yet eccentric silhouettes at the 6Degree Studio during Lakmé Fashion Week Winter/Festive 2017 and Kalki Koechlin made for a lovely muse. The actor looked amazing in a lined long white top, sheer pants with shimmer detailing of taar embroidery and a long white coat.
The collection drew heavily from outerwear staples with a subtle touch of extravagance. The line with its high-octane creativity was an amalgamation of sweaters, cloaks, organza and woven pants, knitted sarees, coats and trenches with custom made flat knits and ribs, creating a mélange of abstract and amorphous shapes. The striped shimmer detailings gave the garments a visually stunning appeal.
Sharply tailored separates in premium suiting, rich silks and sheer organza made the garments enticing and glamorous. When it came to choosing the colour palette, Nikita was partial to steel, slate and charcoal that were contrasted by the vibrant tangerine, which made the ensembles, look classic and artsy. Long, fluid, silhouettes were the highlight of the line. The addition of the trompe l'oeil print added texture to the lyrical, stylish line of clothes. Keeping embellishments to a minimum, the traditional baadla—taar embroidery gave the silhouettes a modern twist with Indian sensibilities.
The collection by Sayantan Sarkar called ‘Children of War’ was inspired by Enyo the Goddess of War in Greek Mythology. Aimed at the strong men and women who value equality in life and enjoy winning life’s battles, the line was both structured and fluid to match the theme. Bringing in a mix of men’s and women’s wear, Sayantan offered fashionable contrasts when constructed jackets and flowing silhouettes merged seamlessly on the catwalk. With unique fabric development being Sayantan’s specialty, there were innovative blends of handlooms that featured Khadi/zari mélanges along with striking ikat checks.
Women’s wear had a marked androgynous touch with cropped militarised shirts, angular regimental jackets and knee length shirts with four patched pockets and impressive buttons. Layered asymmetric skirts and sharply cut trousers complemented the look.
Menswear was more martial and started with a multi-pocket boiler suit, some stylish double-breasted jackets sporting shoulder epaulets and jackets with 4-pocket interest.
Inspired by the frescos from the 30 Ajanta caves Gaurang Shah presented his magnificent ‘Chitravali’ collection. Using the frescos as hand-painted Kalamkari on Kanchipuram silk; Gaurang blended the beauty of these two traditional mediums. Opting for natural dyes obtained from the bark flower and root, the final result was a kaleidoscope of red from pomegranate seeds, yellow from harde, blue from indigo, black by blending iron and jaggery green by fusing indigo and myno balan for the magnificent colour story. (Express photo by Amit Chakravarty)
The prints recreated the fresco scenes along with images of birds, beasts and bejewelled animas. The Kalamkari technique was incorporated cleverly on the brightly coloured Kanchipuram silk brocades with the glittering golden borders whose richness was further enhanced by using the Korvai weaving technique ideal for festive wear. The collection of luxurious saris with stunning gold borders and pallavs painted with the intricate Kalamkari images were breath-taking in their beauty. (Express photo by Amit Chakravarty)
From floor skimming anarkalis, to short kedia blouses, pants, long lean kurtas, the collection moved to multi-pleated lehengas, shararas, ornate dupattas and empire line swirling kurtas. (Express photo by Amit Chakravarty)
Inspired by the beautiful Princesses of India who loved to innovate with the saris, Sailesh Singhania paid tribute to their beauty with ‘The Winter Rose’ collection at Lakmé Fashion Week Winter/Festive 2017. Radhika Apte glided down the ramp in a yellow/gold brocade lehenga teamed with a blouse and a flowing cape.
Sailesh's muse the Princesses’ persona urged him to unveil the most opulent hand-woven silk saris and lehengas. The lovingly woven motifs were a mesmerising array of roses, whimsical chandeliers, teapots and cups as well as the iconic design of the jewelled brooch and Hyderabad iconography.
Pushing his creativity to the limits, Sailesh ensured that the beauty of hand woven textiles and hand weaves was at the optimum level. The colours were at their vibrant best as orange, royal purple, fuchsia pink and emerald green were fused with stunning gold zari work. It was the recreation of the Raj era when fashion was elegant and stylish. Women looked like princesses when they were dressed in the opulent saris and grand accessories.
While the saris were splendid in their weaves and designs, the ensembles with a marked western influence featured stylish overcoats, trench and pea coats with high collars being their focal point. Sailesh ensured that his coats matched beautifully with the regal saris; while the cropped jackets, some with peplums and notched lapels or double breasted; looked elegant with the saris as well as the luxurious lehengas. The hooded floor length cape and brocade sari was a perfect royal ensemble.
There was a strong, social, cultural and environmental message from Urvashi Joneja’s ‘Concrete’ collection at Lakmé Fashion Week Winter/Festive 2017. Varying aspects of progress inspired the prints and textures and Sarah Jane Dias made for a pretty picture in one of her designs.
The building blocks, staircases and wrecking of the environment were adequately highlighted through the garments. The look created by Lakmé Makeup Expert, Donald Simrock, had a bold metallic purple touch to it.
The silhouettes ranged from off-shoulder tops, long jackets, asymmetrical peplum blouses, long flowing dresses and midis with plunging necklines and ruffle detailing. The outfits had 3D embellished flowers surfaced innovatively and vibrant prints depicted fun and modernity. The colour palette was playful and pleasant; it had shades of magenta, military green, teal, tangerine, Marsala and a hint of monochrome.
Caprese in collaboration with Jodi Life presented the 'Dress Like a Girl' collection at Lakmé Fashion Week Winter/Festive 2017. Rhea Chakraborty sashayed down the ramp in a printed back tie-up dress and a striking pink shoulder bag.
Designers, Gauri Verma and Karina Laungani, creators of ‘Jodi Life’ dreamt up perfect wardrobe options using the local Indian craft techniques, which is their trademark for 100 per cent natural Indian textiles with hand block printing. Opening with a white cold-shoulder midi piped in red with detailing, the fun show progressed to cropped blouses with slashed Capri pants. Summer dresses, drop-shoulder checked frocks, striped checked ‘A’ line entry and a railroad multi-striped shirtdress gave the collection a fashionable vibe.
Sahil Aneja, a bespoke men’s wear designer, has carved a niche for himself by reinventing fashion norms for Indian men. His collection ‘Restricted 2.0’ was what the modern Indian needs for the coming season. The designer presented a minimal, chic line influenced by street signs that were intelligently projected on the garments. The ensembles varied from classic suits to well-tailored outfits. Jackets, leather vests with metallic zipper detailing, over-coats and long shirts with cowls had slogans printed creatively. This complete package of creativity definitely upgraded the style quotient of this collection.
Interesting fabrics such as flannel, leather, felt wool and knits were used to create variations with textures to show a different dimension. Charcoal black, smoke grey, maroon, olive and mint green, scarlet and violet created the perfect palette.
Vasundhara Mantri's Reverence jewellery collection was a study in dynamic art forms that will appeal to women who long for statement pieces. With the Indian origin flowers as her inspiration, the designer created mind-boggling pieces that had a timeless appeal and would definitely turn into unforgettable heirlooms.
Intricate detailing was the focal point of the earrings; necklaces and rings; while clever textures and finishes gave the jewellery a striking desirable imagery. The jewellery made of mixed metal with rhodium plating was golden, silver and lacquer. Flowers chosen were tube roses, marigolds, hibiscuses, roses, closed lotuses and small buds; all turned into beautiful innovative pieces.
Some ornaments like the elaborate rose neckpiece, headband, bracelet with spokes of buds/tube roses and multi-use belt-cum-sash-cum-necklace really stood out. The grandest of all was a pearl body mesh with big hibiscus flowers, bracelet of buds and rings as well as the impressive round nose ring.
