Can spring be far behind?

With winter round the corner, the designers just got busy to showcase their collections for the next season. At the Wills India Fashion Week Spring Summer edition, glamour took a front row with aesthetics to beat the heat. SUCHAYAN MANDAL reports from the runway 

 

Bold trikinis, polka dots, pencil skirts, sheen of gold and silver, pastel hues, light weight linen and bead work will be in vogue next summer, predicted the just-ended Wills India Fashion Week Spring Summer 2014. The five-day  extravaganza of glamour that concluded in the Capital last Sunday was replete with all the good things of life. Par lights beaming on the ramp and models sashaying the ramp and setting the trend is nothing new. But each season brings with it an innovation in creativity that hypnotises one’s senses to make one believe in a luxury that’s not just lavish.
 People often question the “wearability” of the showcased outfits on the ramps. However, FDCI organised WIFW designers never conceptualise anything that can’t be worn by the off-the-ramp people.

 

Aboriginal art 

Debutante Vivek Karunakaran’s  tops, crop tops, palazzos, jackets, pants, shorts, dresses in gorgeous Chanderis mixed with voile, georgette, linen and poplin have been inspired by the Papunya Tula artists of the Western Desert of Australia. Their patterns consist of dots primarily, and also lines, circles, footprints which when put together narrate a tale. Having introduced  tulip yellow for the first time in his collection, there’s also electric blue, ivory, black, flamingo coral and elephant grey. The designer has played with volume, texture and colour-blocking. Hand-embroidery, appliqué, pleats and gathers enhance the appeal of the colourful garments. Apart from jackets, anarkalis and gowns, dhoti pants ruled the roost.

Deconstructed pants
Much like the global scenario, deconstructed pants are a new trend this time. Wendell Rodrick’s version of this pant has a Goan relax mode, borrowing from the designer’s home town. Tarun Tahilani’s satin dhoti pants have a velvet waist bands and side pocket flaps. Arun Saluja adds an androgynous touch on this trend.
“A deconstructed pant needs to be teamed with something a little less dramatic as there is a lot happening in that one piece of garment. I would team it with a corset, simple stilettos, a tote and ‘just-out-of-bed’ hair. This year, I was inspired by old school Irani cafés, so my variation of the deconstructed pants for my Spring/Summer 2015 show on Sunday at Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week are deeply pleated culottes paired with a simple crop top”, believes Nida Mahmood.  Pair the pants with fitted tops, or boxy crop tops or even a classic men’s shirt that is partly tucked in the front and you will be setting the trend.

Kashmir ~ an issue

 
Rohit Bal’s collection “Gulbagh” was a tribute to the people of the Valley, who have been affected by the floods that wrecked the state last month. “My heart goes out to the local people who have borne the brunt of the devastation caused by the floods. There is a huge problem there and the people continue to suffer a great deal,” said the designer.
Having liberally used fine handlooms like Chanderi, fine mustard and matka silk, hand block printing has been intelligently used with vegetable dyes and gold leaf embossing. “I grew up surrounded with a variety of flowers. So this collection has chrysanthemums, wild roses, which capture the pristine beauty of the place. There are other elements like the dual stitch technique of Kashmir,” he said to the press.
“On the whole, I would say this collection showcases our Indian sensibilities. I don’t understand why the present designers borrow so much from the Western art and architecture but fail to discover the beauty of our temples, mosques and other heritage sights,” he reasoned.

Denim is back
Dear to heart, denim became designers’ pick at the fashion week. Raakesh Agarvwal’s collection had a lot of distressed denim followed by white distressed pieces with a lot of colour on it. The designer teamed them up with free flowy tops with lot of fringing work to achieve an elegant look. Apart from denim wear range, Agarvwal has also gone back to his initial years of his design career to revisit his collection of 2008 and 2009 and give it a feel of 2014. There were lot of chiffon gowns, free flowing dresses and jumpsuits with intricate cuts and smart detailing.
Veteran designer, Rajesh Pratap Singh’s love for denim was much more than just jeans. With his collection Blue Blood, Singh etched in the collection his love for indigo-dyed raw selvedge denim ~ a dying craft that owes its origin to India. Using varying weights ofdenims for shirting and bottoms.
 The selvedge detail featured uniquely in each piece; sometimes as a seam, in the bias, as a placket detail, or as a minimal stripe down the back of the garment. Shirts, tunics, jeans, jackets, waistcoats, dungarees and culottes made up the ensembles. Experimental silhouettes were displayed in the menswear selection, in the “engineered shirt” and “bias tunic shirt”. An innovative step up showcased stainless steel blended denim, khadi-linen weaves and jacquards with selvedge detailing. Embroidery, applique, patchwork, polka dots and the label's signature pin-tucks and usage of ikat were all highlighted.
The collection was also a tribute to workers in the denim industry, dubbed the “blue-blooded tribe”, to whom the purity of denim is an heirloom and a legacy in itself. This was further reinforced by the fact that Pratap seated his workers at the entry to the stage, like a set of immovable columns in the structure of the industry. Black and white video footage showing the process of denim construction formed an artistic and stirring backdrop that ran throughout the show, saluting the efforts of those true to the art that is denim.

Aussie influence

 Roopa Pemmaraju, a Melbourne-based and Bengaluru-born designer, showcased a luxury ready-to-wear collection, featuring original artworks by indigenous Australian artists on garments, using fabrics created by Indian artisans. The collection has been created in collaboration with renowned indigenous Australian artists, including Warlukurlangu, artists from Yuendumu, Rosie Napurrurla Tasman from Warlpiri culture and Reko Rennie, whose art incorporates his association to the Kamilaroi people.

Be bold
Delhi-based designers Shivan Bhatiya and Narresh Kukreja  showcased maillots, bikinis and trikinis on the ramp. Their work reflected the modern women and the prints embody the work of Calder through the elements of the duo's work.
The designers created two signature prints ~ the hued Influx and the Calder's eye print. They made good use of colours like vermillion, chrome and moss. The palettes worked wonders with beautiful caramel Indian skin. The models looked stunning as they walked down the ramp with wet tresses in order to recreate a resort or pool look around.

Tinsel touch
While Aditi Rao Hydari, Sania Mirza sauntered ramp as show stoppers, sitting on the front row were actor Rahul Bose, Neha Dhupia and Nina Gupta apart from many other celebrities.
 Make-up is always the core part of fashion shows. Nidhi Shar'ma, Delhi based stylist associated with Wills India Fashion Week explained the backstage story. “The designers were getting little more inventive with tonal shades and neutrals. All high sheath and sheer is what this spring summer is all about,” said Nidhi, explaining the make-up trends for spring.
“ The look is both sexy and demure. Quirky prints and old school silhouettes ruled the ramp in Nida Mehmood show with her interesting spring summer line good look Irani cafe inspired from those old Parsi eating joints in Bombay,” she added.
This fashion week wasn’t a ramp tale but included style quotients off it. First timers who made into front row had loud make-up that didn’t synchronize well with the ambience. Yet Devil Wears Prada-inspired fashion editors in corset supported outfits redefined glamour. And to conclude, one often wonders how come most of the designers look so suave yet simplistically dressing up for bowing to the cheering crowd!