Life in Technicolor

Humorous splash of colors, Pankaj and Nidhi look at the bright side of the year announcing hope and recovery, a sense of cheerful classics and nostalgic styles reminiscent of sprightly school days. They exude a light heartedness of caricatures in their clothing.

Kaleidoscopic bright rose, cobalt, carrot, turq, blood, purple, parrot, gold, rose pink, plum and ultra marine walked between the rows of flashing technicolor lights.

Georgette kimono dress with paneled sequin work, polka dotted short dresses, quilted silks, rexine, silk, satins, fine poplins formed the base of flat CRYSTALLIZED™ – Swarovski Elements embroidery, metallic embroidery work and several other fabric ornamentations.

A range of fine trapunto quilted jackets in all lengths or shrugs, cinched at hem short dresses in varied styles, precision geometric embroideries, hexagon diskette quilted capes and racer back dress, Russian vintage print tunics, mix of solids and prints, embroideries and checks, sheers and opaques, stockings and mesh rosette neckpieces evoked life in all its vibrancy.

Smart clean lines accentuated the simplicity of their clothing which had an oriental flavour also with stencil like prints. High waisted skirts, long capes, Magyar sleeves were a highlight. Lots of colorful stockings married the outfits.

Meat

An honest collection, a collection that made daring confessions, that willed to bare; evocative, provocative, an artistic expression, a journey of designer’s creative evolution.

Prashant presented a collection based on the ‘compelling analysis of aggression- of the violence with which we want to win – of what we have done to gain meaning and substance in our own eyes – of what we transform ourselves into – and how we sometimes unknowingly unleash the beast within.’

Drawing from the historical repertoires of iconic figures, sports and cultures, it appeared to be a thoroughly researched, tightly conceptualized, painstakingly executed body of work which may often be dismissed and considered unnecessary in the context of frivolity called fashion.

Sharp colors of black and white contrasted with prints of explosion, after explosion, body builders and skeletons in bright colors, silver metallic with glittering belts.

Cottons, patents, leather, silk, satin, lurex velvet, jersey, lurex taffeta, gabardine and linen

When most designers in India are going for the western look aimed at the foreign buyers as well as the followers of European trends; Priyadarshini Rao broke away from popular dictates and decided to present an all Indian collection of angarkhas, paneled anarkalis, kurtas, simple ‘A’ line tunics and long mogul dresses all worn with either contrast or matching churidars, leggings or stirrup pants.

The colour story was muted with dull tones of soft grey, peach, pale green, rust, beige and orange blended together in several prints for one garment. The silhouettes were flared and feminine with floral prints and embroidery. The hemlines moved gracefully from the knee to calf, ankle and almost swept the floor with some being slightly asymmetric in nature. The fabrics ranged from georgette, chiffon to soft cotton and silk.

Some of the interesting eye catchers were the peach georgette trapeze kurta with delicate work, the embroidered smock with a tantalizing lace hem, the floor length diagonal striped kurta, the coat kurta, the hot pink paneled tunic with churidars, the double sleeved long gown with gold horizontal stripes, a floral pinafore worn with knits leggings, a solitary skirt and chiffon blouson. A solo pair of jeans with a flouncy top could have been left out of the show as it had no connection with the otherwise ethnic line.

Sale wise it could work on the racks for Priyadarshini Rao but creatively it didn’t add to her resume as one of her best ramp efforts.

Following one’s fashion sensibilities season after season can be at times repetitive, but when it is Sonam Dubal then the designer manages to create interest for each of his new collections without deviating from his chosen path which is to bring forth the beauty of his homeland Tibet and Central Asia.

The Nomad Story reveals the beauty of Sonam’s creativity as he works around the Indo-oriental silhouette, which reflects coats, jackets, boleros, wraps, dresses and tunics, then adds on beautiful but subtle embroidery and works with weaves that bring to the forefront the beauty of his theme.

The colours were gently exciting with purple, burgundy, black and aborigine broken with touches of red and white for beautiful silk and velvet sprinkled with mirrors and touches of shine. The beauties that need special mention are the black velvet Turkish embroidered jacket with a print silk crush dress, Burgundy velvet wrap dress teamed with a hand painted scarf, the mix tribal embellished jacket over a black Chanderi flared dress with burgundy slip, cotton kantha on a sleek cheongsam dress, the gold/purple silk lined Honju wrap pants with an obe belt and Chanderi stitch cape, the Moroccan hooded cape, and a striking black velvet tea pot embellished bolero worn with a purple paisley hand painted kaftan and a tulip motif shawl.

The simple flat soft shoes the knitted woollen skull caps and the simplicity of the collection made the Nomad Story a range that will be adored by women of all ages. Elegant and sophisticated is how Sonam Dubal’s clothes are always described by fashion watchers.

Eclectic Dreams

A very romantic, clean look with a bohemian touch in shiny and somber tones of winter for modern elegant woman opened to a foggy early morning Central Park ambience.

Kavita presented a refreshing new look this season while still carrying forward her romantic nomadic mélange leanings we have come to associate with her.

She sprinkled a chalky palette of pastels, dusty grey, cappuccino, silver, black, green, orange, vibrant accents of Fuschia and orange, ivory, maroon and steel blues.

Lots of flock bold prints, floral and leaf prints, cross stitch embroidery, sequins, jeweled embroideries, rosettes, quilting adorned the chiffons, jerseys, satins, chanderi, lycra, velore, cotton silks and georgettes. Young trendy lineup of short flared skirts and dresses with peeping tulles, empire lines, jackets, jacket dresses, beautiful peplum jackets, clean scarf over shirts, cowled dresses, corset waist belts ,off shoulders, asymmetry, cut work, long and short halter dresses, peasant tops, blousons, gathers were shown. Ivory jersey pencil dress, Magyars, shrugs, gypsy skirts in block prints lent themselves to a very soft feminine look. A gothic high waisted slim trouser touched on edginess.

Laces frequently trimmed the edges and peeped from the skirts.
Finale was an elegant stitched saree with a trailing mermaid skirt.

Gaurav Gupta is the master of drapes and he has used them at their creative best for not only garments but even given his saris a new profile which is quite different from the traditional ethnic style.

For Autumn/Winter 2009 Gaurav’s collection was a study in garment construction which worked around a variety of fabrics like silk, chiffon, tulle, satin, tille, glass nylon, suiting, jersey and once again brought in drapes that were unconventional along with form fittings shapes. Abstract prints of birds and flowers occasionally broke the monotony of the solid colours, which ranged from stark black and white to grey, yellow, blue, purple, hot pink, cobalt and red.

Detailing in the collection moved to a high level as zippers turned from fasteners into embellishments which were once again draped; while leather embroidery on silk dresses gave a discreet sheen, large collars and a mix of solid and transparent fabrics added to the excitement of the garments. The four saris fitted into the sensibilities of the designer as silk and tulle were draped and held together with metal embroidery, sculpted to the body or worn under the striking cholis to make a new fashion statement.

With every garment Gaurav proved that his ideas work very well even though most of the time he thought out of the box as he extended the sleeve, shoulder or waist to create innovative forms. From draped culottes, blue black wing sleeve dress, which emerged from an extended hemline, the hot pink printed large sleeve dress with piping, the shiny jersey dress with draped neck, the range moved to black slub top with blue printed body suit in anatomical lines, the pink draped zipper dress and the silver wings jacket, making these creations some of the beauties in the collection.

When a social cause is teamed with a fashion week collection for a particular season, then the result better be coordinated. But while the Ashima/Leena line for Fall/Winter 2009 was one that would do rather well in the Oriental and Middle Eastern markets, the duo’s declaration that they were starting a foundation inspired by the two child stars of the award winning movie “Slumdog Millionaire” Rubina and Azar, who were also the show stoppers of the evening; one felt that there was no connection between the two and that fashion and emotions should be kept far apart and not used to garner excessive media attention.

The line of kaftans a favourite of Ashima/Leena since the past season along with kurtas, tunics, gowns, in shades of red, white black, beige, blue, yellow and orange with ethnic symbols, tie and dye, bead and metal work on silk, velvet and georgette had detailing like permanent pleating and smocking. The trousers were wide and flowing while the jackets were soft and feminine.

The print story reflected the ikat motifs along with chintz and antique weaves with touches of embroidery in sequins and threads. While the collection was divided into colour stories, the silhouettes overlapped in each of them and it would have been far more sensible had the similar garments been presented in groups to make a striking impact.

Design wise it was a line that revealed that the designers are wary of going off the beaten path. But maybe they know their market well and are confident of selling their repeat versions of similar collections to their buyers.

When one talks of Bespoke tailoring one may think of stylish elegant men’s wear, the type worn by James Bond. Now Rajesh Pratap Singh presented the feminine version of the look which was in dense colours like black, grey and bits of metal in fabrics that could hold his tailoring and designing expertise at the highest level.

So wool, cashmere, silk, hand woven, spun and twisted or in its purest form was the basis of the collection. The silhouettes were sharp and boxy with trousers being almost skin tight and at times resembled churidars or stockings while at other times they were loose with two pleats and floating ribbons. The jackets were designed with that touch of classic edginess which only Rajesh Pratap Singh can give.

Starting the show with a black boxy jacket with ribbon detailing, he moved to a grey Magyar sleeve shift and then onto a double pleated skirt. The tuxedo style in a modified version worked very well for soft asymmetric coat while a grey unstructured one and a frock coat were more additions to the range.

Glitter came in the form of silver pencil pants which emerged from under a long jacket. Subtle shimmer appeared on yokes and sleeves. The waist line moved above from the natural position for trousers, skirts and culotte skirts. Contrasting matte and shine in tonal colours of black or grey added that touch of elegance to the dresses, jackets and blouses.