Swapnil Shinde was a surprise package with his collection which was very good. But he need not have given a long winding history for the collection called “Dancer in the Dark”. It’s the clothes that matter and not the story of a lavni dancer courtesan called Chandrakala who loved Rafael a poet and the villain was a club owner Zidler, and to add to the confusion, how the 17th and 18th century Europe was the inspiration for the evening wear line.

Created in black and white with touches of lavender to blood red in beautiful fabrics like silk, chiffon, satin Lycra, velvet, faux leather, custom printed chiffon, tartan wool and embellished with Indian zardozi, the gowns and cocktail dresses were well designed.

There was a sheer and solid story for the skirts and tunics. Zips played a role for cropped jackets, skirts were flouncy with canvas petticoats to give body and waists were clinched with broad silver or black belts. The silver ghungroos were used as embellishments on shoulders, neck, waist, and there were smart double breasted jackets constructed or otherwise. The glamorous draped sari gowns, Net sheer kalidar baby doll dress, worn over gold sheaths; and one shoulder draped gowns were elegant. A long sleeved ruffled paneled dress, white net skirt and crystal studded asymmetric tube and long sleeved one button white jacket over a maxi skirt made good night time options. The black textured stiff umbrella shaped mini skirt with blouse look great with ghungroo touches and the black and white version with red Swarovski crystals on the bodice was startlingly impressive.

A mention has to be made of the custom made shoes and boots which added to the collection. The long intro story was unnecessary, as the collection would have been appreciated even if Swapnil Shinde had just said that it was formal evening wear.

Presenting his first women’s wear collection called “Helen of Troy” or HOT Troy Costa showed draped gowns and dresses that would fit into the theme and added a handful of men’s wear since that is his specialty.

Taffeta, jersey, chiffon, sumptuous duchess silk and satin in shades of magenta, wine, aubergine, and golden beige had lace for seduction. The evening gowns, cocktail drapes and sharply tailored suits and fitted knee length dresses were stylishly designed though a little attention to finish would have helped as the fitting appeared to pucker a little.

A draped gown opened the show followed by a psychedelic figure hugging outfit, a black sheath with great pleating and tucks and a gold lamé dress. The twisted front drape gowns, the quilted Lurex suits and the black and white animal jersey will power dress fitted into the sexy theme. The one shoulder silhouette was there for gowns in gold and the maxis in brown, pale blue and rust were elegant. The sari drape appeared for the slim lean creations. Interesting touches were the glittering Swarovski Elements shoulder pads on the taffeta jacket and the gold draped mini, while glittering inserts were seen at the waist or on the bodice. Ending the show with a lilac satin and draped gown with Swarovski Element borders running on the bodice, the collection will appeal to western wear followers.

Men’s wear had a few suits – a tuxedo, a double collar jacket and some one button ones in very slim short silhouettes.

For a first attempt at women’s wear Troy Costa did a good job. A little care will get him into the higher level with attention to finishing.

Vivek Kumar does not believe in going on the conventional path for his fashion designing. He adds on some technology to create garments which are robotic with mechanism and electronic control systems but still manages to get the look right. His collection titled “Circuit Darzi” was a line that evoked unbelievable attention from the audience.

Using electric motors, sliders, cable driven mechanism and watch circuits as embellishments and as garments, Vivek had a line of women’s wear that was not only eye-catching but will become amazing conversation pieces. His fabric choice was with flat bed knits, lots of net, reprinted satin and jersey, and the silhouettes were simple and structured.

The colours were muted black, maroon, beige, brown and the accessories varied from sparkling worker’s helmets to circular structured bandanas that looked like curls on the models’ heads. Starting with a tunic dress with knitted long sleeves and discs as embellishments, Vivek moved to smocks with one shoulder and shimmering glass yoke embroidery. The long sleeved shift with complete electronic system as a bag in front, and bunched up toga was held by rivets. The spinning watch mechanism on the dress front was by a switch on the garment and the extreme petalled black and brown mini was eye-catching.

The grey smock with mirror collar, the rust knit brown dhoti dress, the toga with discs, the knit draped with leather strips, and the angular glittering collar on the long “A” line maxi which suddenly rose into a tent were amazing feats of construction and designing skill.

Vivek proved that technology and fashion can come together in a pleasant manner each complementing the other. Here was a collection, for not the coming season but for many years into the future, from Vivek Kumar, who likes to think out of the box.

For a pure prêt collection which can be worn though the years and seasons, Paromita Banerjee had the mix of old Gharana style with shawl drapes and Mughal influences mixed with shift dresses in resist dyed khadi and layered silks. With hand woven fabrics from matka and tussore from Bengal, handloom Mangalgiri cotton from Andhra Pradesh and discharge printed silks, the look was simple with motifs for embellishments from the Mughal patka to the conifer leaf.

The Black, White, Red story in khadi had a mix of the Kosodel silhouette of the short sleeved kimono and the Mughal jama and angarkhas. The khadi top with fallen leaves embroidery in black outline with textured skirt and placement; Mughal patka motifs with the khadi kimono style dyed jacket had red accents and was striking. There were kalidar collared angarkha kurta with conifer leaf work and the khadi dress with asymmetrical hemline was layered with red mul.

For the Indigo Story there was resist dyeing and discharge printed silks for tunics, bolero wrap and patchwork kimono styles. Those that made an impact were the Mangalgiri handloom kalidar kurta with slash pockets with a discharge silk salwar, the khadi dyed shirt dress, the calico print silk dress in black grey indigo with maroon print and the tussore Mangalgiri shirt dress with double layered ghera and ties.

The final Colour Story had the Ghera dress with tree of life embroidery along the hem, the silk double layered dress in white with mustard and red was teamed with a double layered bolero in green and indigo and the final shirt with French cuffs and kalidar lehenga was perfect.

It was a cool comfortable collection from Paromita Banerjee, who imparted style and elegance to Indian textiles in a contemporary timeless manner.

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There was colour drama and lots of Bollywood glitz in the collection of Neeta Lulla, who celebrated her silver jubilee in the business of fashion. Aimed at the bridal market there were Swarovski Element laden garments that glittered on the ramp. From bikini cholis to yokes, shoulder pads, sleeves, bodices, lehengas, skirts, dresses - they were all showered with glittering Swarovski Elements.

The colours were a kaleidoscope of the brightest in the shade card, starting from delicate flesh to white and then moving onto turquoise, pink, light blue, peach, maroon, red, gold, ink, green, orange, taupe. There were fixed details which Neeta added, such as the layered pleats on the hips, bodice, shoulders of the garments, along with 3D large rosettes that appeared on the neck, shoulders, waist of the ensembles and even as garlands. The tiered effect was seen on the full circle lehengas as well as the little ponchos slung on the shoulders at different angles.

The fabrics were crepe, jersey silk, net, satin and georgette and there was a particular pattern of dark and light shaded effect in every colour for the fabrics. Asymmetric kurtas, sexy minis, Spanish inspired gowns, lehengas with net veils, and the pre-stitched saris appeared in different colour ways with minute detail changes. Turkish pants, fluid salwars, tight churidars, saris with frilled kalis and cholis with intricate glittering straps and stand up collars, tiny smocks with ruffles and shimmering body suits were typical Neeta Lulla creations.

The spiraling silver head pieces added to the drama of the collection. Where Neeta could have paid some attention was in the choice of fabrics and the treatment in colours since the collection in different shades of the same design appeared like a swatch card on display. The final fish tail silver gown was a letdown as it lacked innovative styling.

Neeta Lulla’s glamorous collections have dazzled on the screen for Bollywood movies and this one seemed a continuation of some of the creations.

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There is always vibrant colour and glamour in every collection by Malini Ramani, and her Gypsy collection for the Lakmé Grand finale, based on Lakmé’s colour palette, had large doses of it. Dedicated to a gypsy, there were obvious global influences that Malini is so famous for including into her garments. With a touch of that bohemian elegance and a relaxed look, the creations were typical of what Malini has shown on the ramp in the past.

Fabrics ranged from jersey to cotton and silk with different colours and one batik like design. Divided into four looks that revolved around Mystery, Bliss, Cosmic and Nirvana, the Urban Gypsy collection was tribal and exotic, but the batik work appeared to be monotonous, at times appearing in different colours and parts of the garments.

The detailing was constant too through the collection – feathers, shells, coins, mirrors and tassels. What separated the four looks were the colour schemes of black with ornate mirror work for jackets, skirts and minis for Mystery, followed by the multi stripes look for Bliss, and then shades of brown and black for Cosmic, and finally black and red for Nirvana.

The silhouettes were very fluid resort like with kaftans, ponchos, minis, layered skirts, jumpsuits, long lean tunics, batwing dresses, one shoulder gowns, figure hugging tights and wild tops. The batik work, heavily embellished with bead work and mirrors, glittered under the lights.

For garments that reflect the influence of Malini’s travels to distant places, this gypsy collection of hers will be ideal for resort and holiday wear.

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