Lakmé Fashion Week, a leading business event for the fashion industry, is back again with the Spring/Summer 2009 collections being showed at National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA), Mumbai
from 20-24 October 2008
. RVG Newsvision bring you daily coverage of the shows with detailed reviews specially written for us by fashion expert M.Mistry.
Going the Bohemian way can be a little difficult if one does not have the necessary restrain in the kitsch look that goes with the theme. But Ashmita Marwa managed to have control over her Boho Luxe collection called Gaia – A Revelation where she drew her inspirations from the Turkish styling but with Indian touches. Her specialty is kalamkari and Ashmita has learnt to not only perfect it but also use it sparingly without going in for excess.
The colours matched those in the Turkish markets so there was red, mustard, yellow, olive and earth tones blended with ivory, beige and tea for jumpsuits, kurtas, skirts, dresses and long angarkhas with churidars. The cottons were either crushed or crinkle and used to create tunics with contrasting hemlines, asymmetric tunics, tiny maroon pinafores and tiered summer skirts with matching blouses.
Detailing was in the form of large bellow pockets and the fragile line prints were used sparingly to contrast with the solids. The kalamkari print appeared on pockets, bibs, yokes, waist coats, sleeves and skirts. An interesting addition was the fabric belts with large attached pockets which were used on nearly all the garments. Sale wise this collection by Ashmita Marwa will be a great option as it is easy on the wallet as well as comfortable for summer wear.
Nachiket Barve got his Masters degree from the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad and went on to win a scholarship awarded by the French government to study at the Ecole Nationale Superieur des
Arts Décoratifs
[ENSAD] in Paris. He has trained at CELINE, a part of the Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy Luxury Conglomerate, working with Michael Kors in Paris designing garments and accessories.
Nachiket Barve has become an expert at fabric manipulations and texturing of a very high standard, and since he knows that it is his forte, he keeps his silhouettes very simple so that his textiles are the focal point and do all the talking. For Spring/Summer 2009 his collection called “Abloom” was just that with a profusion of cutwork, embroidery and lace effects in floral and petal forms.
The tones were rich starting from the neutral chalk, ecru, flesh, pale gold, crimson, to mango, sap green, lime, fuchsia, Cerulean, Framboise, purple and Azure. Nachiket always uses rich fabrics like shot silk, organza, raw silk, chiffon, Lurex, tissue, georgette and Dupion turning them into dresses, spring coats, shifts and some pretty cutwork ensembles.
The shaded ombre effect of the garments at times in layered chiffon and silk in shades of blue and Cerulean or red and pink gave a delicate feminine touch to the dresses. Opening the show with an ivory and beige paneled silk dress with textured appliqué; Nachiket moved to a frock in the same shades but with drapes, appliqués and panels. A touch of blouson for the dress gave the garment in orange and pink a bright summer feel, while the silk coatdress in purple with pink and red accents was a beauty.
A double breasted coat with pleats was a stylish addition, while the silk coat in red and beige with ribbon appliqué was indeed innovative in texturing. Nachiket Barve has managed to perfect his designing skills in the direction that he knows he excels in, but it is the little surprises that he presents that make his creations a joy to watch and a thrill to possess.
CRYSTALLIZED™ – Swarovski Elements ANNOUNCES WEDDING BELLES: ITS GLOBAL INITIATIVE IN INDIA
CRYSTALLIZEDTM – SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS IS PROUD TO ANNOUNCE UNBRIDALED – THE MARRIAGE OF TRADITION AND AVANT GARDE On 16 September 2008, at the Taj Palace Hotel, New Delhi,
CRYSTALLIZED™ –Swarovski Elements, Swarovski’s new product brand for all loose Swarovski crystals, will unveil its fabulous wedding initiative and aesthetically ground-breaking coffee table book “UNBRIDALED – The Marriage of Tradition and Avant Garde” for the very first time in India. The breathtaking exhibition, displaying exclusive accessories, jewellery, fashion and interior pieces embellished with CRYSTALLIZED™ – Swarovski Elements, will be open to the public from 17-20 September. To make this initiative more relevant in the country CRYSTALLIZEDTM has exclusively partnered and collaborated closely with top local influencers in the Indian wedding market.
Distinctive Indian cultural richness and grandeur will be displayed by over 65 spectacular exhibits from Indian design labels and talents, which will be juxtaposed with a host of renowned international pieces from the unveiling of the exhibition earlier this year in Paris. Showcasing a fresh, modern and edgy interpretation for the burgeoning Indian wedding market all exhibits will be illuminated by the brilliance of CRYSTALLIZED™ – Swarovski Elements.
A masters degree in fashion design from the the Sophia Polytechnic, Mumbai in 1978, got Krishna Mehta involved into the family garment exports business. That she already had a commerce degree, helped her establish herself firmly in the fashion industry. Her label ‘Krishna Mehta’ specializes in prêt and couture.
Shades of the desert can be very soothing and refreshing when used creatively and that is exactly what Krishna Mehta did for her “Sunrise in the Desert Sands” collection. With fabrics specially woven and block printed at her workshop in Gujarat to give employment to the differently abled men and women, Krishna’s collection for the coming season was a fresh prêt look at men’s and women’s wear.
Her desert inspiration took on vivid tones in poster red, cobalt blue, egg yellow, viridian green, iridescent orange and violet and the most sensuous of silks for dresses, saris and men’s ethnic wear.
The discreet embroidery and texturing on the fabrics was very classic and subtle giving the garments a sophisticated appeal. The ecru hand crafted textured smock, the olive pure silk dress with 3D flowers, the orange dress with cute puff sleeves and collar, the stylish maroon embroidered shirt dress and the red and ocean blue sleeveless sheath with horizontal stripes; were some of the eye-catchers. The saris were rich and exotic with the fabrics woven in the jewel tones.
Men’s wear revolved around sherwani style kurtas with linen trousers or fitted churidars and had great style but yet would be high on the sales charts.
Krishna Mehta’s elegant line had all the elements of a hot selling collection which will win her many accolades.
Gayatri Khanna trained and worked in the US with garment companies. Her label ‘Gayatri’ was launched as recently as 2006 and since, Gayatri Khanna House of Fashion has gone on to make a name with their collections being marketed in major metros of India and internationally in Dubai and New York.
Each season Gayatri Khanna is affected by different aspects of the global environment and while last time it was the warming of the world; this time it was the oceans that inspired her Spring/Summer 2009 line called “Our Coral Reefs – Save our Oceans”. The colours of the deep seas were brought in rather well as indigo, and algae green, aquamarine blue and mint along with acid yellow, grey, black and white recreated the beauty of the oceans.
The fabrics were beautiful silks like charmeuse, taffeta, georgettes and crepes along with some cotton voiles and satin. The multicolored prints - quite abstract in nature were inspired by the butterfly fish and its many species.
The garments were simple in silhouette for dresses, jackets, paneled skirts and skinny trousers. The opening set of ensembles were around the yellow, black and white theme where tiny one shoulder minis, halter gown and some lean tunics and pants had swirls of colour. The black, white, grey and navy line was flirty and feminine with one shoulder ruffled tops, textured covers over minis and knee length dresses with tiny shrugs.
The brights came in with blues and aquamarine for taffeta and satin dresses, georgette ‘V’ neck dress with ocean fabrication embroidery at hem and a striking peachy/orange gown and pleated dress.
This time around too Gayatri Khanna’s collection will be a good seller as she seems to have her finger on the pulse of the fashion market.
Kallol Datta graduated from National Institute of Fashion Technology, Kolkata in 2004 and went on to get another degree in women’s wear from Central St Martins, London in 2006. That he was invited to be a part of the Noise Festival, UK in 2007 as the only Indian nominated in the Fashion Formal and Tailoring category, is an indicator of the depth of his designing skills.
Kallol Datta has always pushed his creativity to the ultimate limit and this season he moved on the same path but ensured that the clothes had a certain amount of commercial viability as well. His collection titled “Future for Sale” lived up to the heading with creations for men and women that were not only quirkily described but worn with a lot of attitude.
Working around silks and soft cottons, his colour palette comprised red, black, brown, grey with touches of pink for piping and orange and olive for shaded dresses. Kallol made sure that the detailing was the focal point and that the garments could be layered or worn solo so as to give more options to the wearer.
The opening kurta set had 3D inserts and was teamed with a Shibori star jacket. The star motif was a constant in all the garments in different colour tones. Dresses were given names like the Bambino funeral dress, the star askew dress and your boyfriend’s star shirt. One was even called the 80 year old woman (which was of course meant for a young trendy hip dresser) and the final outfit was titled star funeral dress. While the names of the outfits were weird the styling was very simple and basic with detailing like rouching at the bodice for a brown mini or ombre effects for an orange/olive shift, a butterfly sleeved dress and an unusual jointed jacket with buttons and loops at the bodice to give it a different shape. Piping in vibrant colours like pink gave the outfits a touch of feminine style while the comfortable silhouettes made the garments perfect summer options.
It is not how many fabrics one uses, but how one uses them in the limited colour story that makes all the difference to a collection and Kallol Datta has managed to fine tune his styling accordingly.
Vineet Bahl graduated from the Nottingham Trent University, England with a BA in fashion design. He went on to train under Tarun Tahiliani before marking out on his own with his label ‘indijapink’. Based in Delhi, he is showcasing his styles on international runways. His influence by Tarun Tahiliani shows up in his tendency to dress up his women to look like goddesses.
“Candy Perfume Girl” was the name of Vineet Bahl’s collection and it was for a woman who wants to be pampered, spoilt and treated like a queen. Utterly feminine it was for the lady who wants to lead a life of great leisure and yet be well dressed. The fabrics were the popular chiffon, silk, cotton gauze and wispy georgette. The colours, as always from Vineet were pastel and muted with touches of mint green, azure blue and mandarin orange to frangipani white, red, chocolate brown and gooseberry yellow.
The collection was predominantly dresses with just three saris which Vineet added on to keep the ethnic dressers happy. The silhouettes were relaxed with embroidery to look like ikat and Moroccan folk embellishments with stripes, polka dots, op-art prints and floral patterns to give a good balance.
Some of the eye-catchers were the cream sorbet silk textured tunic with black beadwork on hem, the patch swing dress with stripe border detail, the red textured thread work panelled dress, the georgette kurta dress with ikat detailing and the ivory multi coloured ikat embellished swing dress. The water-washed brocade georgette plunge dresses with gold belt detailing, however did not quite gel with the rest of the serene collection. But maybe Vineet needed to go a bit on the glitzy side to keep his varied buyers happy. The saris were lavishly embroidered with heavy borders and beadwork and a mix of prints and teamed with equally opulent cholis.
“Candy Perfume Girl” was a collection from Vineet Bahl with many options for his buyers who want the simple with the exotic.
Anupama Dayal acquired an MBA from IIM Kolkota before moving on into fashion designing. She launched her label ‘Anupama’ in 2004 and has participated in various fashion weeks. Her designs have won accolades globally.
Anupama Dayal enjoys creating garments that have a folksy touch to them. Long tiered skirts and gypsy blouses were her favourite, but this time she went on to the western path with a predominant mini collection with just one sari and a trouser and top. Calling her Spring/Summer 2009 collection, “The Gallerina” which was aimed at the urban woman Anupama added patterns and motifs from rural Bengal and touches of Victorian embroidery in semi precious stones and a dash of patchwork.
The silhouettes were slim with bits of asymmetric lines and Anupama attempted to combine European sophistication with Indian design. The colour line up was oyster pink, amethyst, dull gold, mocha, ash, magnolia and papaya for crepe, georgette, brocade, satin, chikan embroidered voiles and cotton Lurex. The only thing that was Indian was the motifs for the cocktail dresses, maxi, cropped pants, tunics and flowing skirts.
The dresses were patched and pleated in multi shades, hand block designs and tiny mirrors were added to silver satin summer dresses, gem stone and zardozi yokes were the highlight for scarf dresses, op-art prints appeared on chiffon skirts and georgette dresses. It was a safe line for Anupama Dayal with hardly any interesting innovations but since the designer was keeping an eye on the sales charts, it will probably make her happy.
Rahul Mishra is a physics graduate from Kanpur who did his Master’s program from National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad and subsequently from the Instituto Marangoni, Milan, Italy. He has applied every aspect of his education to work on techniques for creating reversible and seamless garments.
When a designer is able to promote the textiles of India as well as create them into innovative garments with construction techniques that are pushed to the limits; then he could be called a great blend of the traditional and the modern.
Ever since Rahul Mishra graduated from NID he has ensured that the rich textile heritage of India is always in the forefront of his collection, so this time around too his creations for Spring/Summer 2009 were titled “Let Craft Lead the Way”.
Moving into Madhya Pradesh he created handloom fabrics from the looms of Maheswar to bring the beautiful transparency of the textiles to combine with his geometric patterns. The colour story was kept restrained in four groups – black, white and grey, turquoise, yellow and red with touches of gold and silver borders woven into them.
The innovative cutting techniques, the garment construction, the pleating and geometric layout of the garments along with subtle layering of sheer over opaque gave the dresses and gowns a look that was pure elegance in style. Detailing was restricted to corded armholes and neckline while layers and flaps almost fell into origami shapes. A white organza jacket with tie up belt and angular striped cotton inner, a black cream and gold over dress with large lapels, a halter tie up dress, tube dress highlighted with yellow cording, a gently degrade yellow dress with white top and yellow cord neckline, a geometric design wrap dress with turquoise satin inner and two long maxis with accented gold borders were some of the highlights of the show.
What were quite unique were the interchangeable inners that could be made in different colours to suit the buyer’s needs and thus turn one garment into several options. The fabrics were also specially woven for each outfit so that the borders and patterns fell into perfect place.
There is always something new to look forward to in a Rahul Mishra’s collection and with his perfect finishing and styling the designer always comes up with a winning line.
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