The five days of fashion showcasing kicked off in Dubai with onset of Dubai Fashion Week Fall Winter 2011, from April 19 to 23. The day one saw the fashion being interpreted by many young and established names. Here is a sneak peek into the collections of the designers who displayed their creations at Day 1 of DFW F/W 2011.

Samah Ali
Debutante designer Samah Ali presented an opulent collection themed, ‘Luxury Dubai’ for the elegant Arab woman. The 20-outfit collection saw plenty of fabric layering, bound with borders of chunky gemstones and appliqués. Innovative designs included a bejeweled poncho worn over black fabric. A sheer cape-like abaya with a yellow cowl and an embroidered palm on the flowing train drew tremendous appreciation from the audience. Star motifs were a recurring design feature throughout the collection.

Sakina Mohsin
Well known for her bridal creations, Sakina Mohsin presented her prêt-a-porter 18-piece Fall line-up. The Indo-Arab collection was a graceful union of the two cultures, manifested in the form of jalabiyas, maxi dresses and long flowing gowns. Playful bows and flowers dotted outfits as swirly printed fabric was interspersed with solid coloured chiffons to form graceful silhouettes.

Mariam Al Mazro
Sister duo Mariam and Moza Al Mazro sought inspiration from women in the Orientalist paintings of the 19th century to present a collection titled, ‘Gmaash’. The collection was comprised of maxi dresses and flowing gowns that transformed playful designs into modest silhouettes, thereby giving them a modern touch. Leopard prints met floral and geometric patterns to form designs that remained graceful in all their vibrancy. Hues ranged from pastels to brighter tones, while silhouettes varied from knee-length dresses, A-line skirts, flowing maxi-dresses and pleated skirts.

Lomar Thobe
The menswear collection featured a range of thobes from casual to formal wear and utilised fabrics such as jersey, cotton and silk. A different twist to the thobe was presented in the form of dual-coloured outfits with bands of darker hues running down the side and thobes with shorter sleeves revealing all-black sleeves featuring innovative designs. Formal thobes were in rich shades carrying subtle motifs and high collars. Zips and pockets were added to bring out the casual facet of the thobe.

La Chantal By Saba
The opulent range experimenting with silhouettes from the Indian Subcontinent featured jalabiyas, dresses, saris, salwar-kameezes, lehengas, as well as jumpsuits. Blouses encrusted with crystal were paired with flowing ‘lehengas’ (skirts) and sheer ‘dupattas’ (stoles). The collection worked in a balance of fabric with embellishments, as low-slung encrusted bodices were paired with solid-coloured skirts featuring minimal embroidery. Innovative design elements such as beaded tassels along the hip and elaborate ornaments adorning plunging necklines dominated the runway.

Al Motahajiba
Al Motahajiba’s Fall/Winter 2011 line-up lavishly utilized the finest fabrics and Swarovski crystals to create a wardrobe fit for a leading lady of style, elegance and substance. The collection comprising of jalabiyas and abayas paid special attention on stylish cuts and embellishment. Sinuous jalabiyas in magnificent hues of pink, green and white were adorned with crystal piping and sequined sleeve borders. Empire-waisted capes were worn over gowns and delicately held in place with bands of crystals. The colourful jalabiyas were followed by a presentation of traditional abayas featuring a variety of contemporary details ranging from baggy sleeves to tapered ankles. Panels of coloured silk worked their way into the black fabric as black capes flared to reveal their colourful inner sides.

Mineral by Priyadarshini Rao presents a line of sheer fabrics in colors which are bright and earthy.

Peak summer styles in mineral see more use of georgettes and sheer, fresh stripers, and shifley tops. Ribbed knits basics are added to the collection to be teamed up with fashion outers, and also washed out knits to give a more casual look with interesting crochet yokes in simpler silhouettes.

“Post modernism is at the core of our designs, and we want to emphasize that mineral is targeted at the more evolved customer who has her own individual taste and has an appreciation of design and material, rather than just buy what everyone else is wearing,” says Priyadarshini Rao.

Combination of ditsy and bold prints and emphasis on geometrics in stripers and polka are other features of the new summer range. Mineral continues to use skin friendly, natural and breathable fabrics in fashionable chic style. One can see use of asymmetric lines and fluid silhouettes, which give an element of casualness to the wardrobe.

Anahita, a multi designer store launched its flagship store in Hyderabad lately with an aim of redefining the fashion in the city by introducing the latest and trendy to its patrons.

The store promises to be a one-stop shop offering complete ensembles in Indian and Western wear, ranging from apparel to accessories, which exude feminine elegance. The store also dedicates a space to kids wear, through designer tie-ups with Kidology & their in-house label Annabelle, for kids.

This contemporary retail space reflects both, modern & traditional fashion in an equal ease. Anahita dedicates an individual space to each designer keeping in sync with his or her vision and sensibilities. A keen focus on comfort and privacy is reflected through the concept of the VIP room.

The Designers Anahita exhibits are AM: PM, Cue by Rohit Gandhi & Rahul Khanna, Gaurav Gupta, Gauri & Nainika, Indian by Manish Arora, Ranna Gill, Tarun Tahiliani, Annabelle by Anahita, Anushree Reddy and Rock-a-Bella by Pia Pauro amongst others.

The latest and most exclusive of them are collections from Tarun Tahiliani’s SS’2011, Anand Kabra, Delna Poonawala, Anuska Khanna & Zurkhe.

The graduating show of the SNDT Women’s University, at The Leela Kempinski Hotel, Mumbai saw fashionably dressed girls screaming and cheering as their batch-mates showed off fantastic designs that could easily be mistaken for being straight off the Paris catwalks.

“The sheer amount of talent these young girls displayed tells us just how forward India will be on the world-wide fashion map in the years to come,” said critically acclaimed designer, Babita Malkani, who was amongst the special celebrity invitees.

Designer Hemant Trevedi, who mentored the girls, was “Awed by the array of ideas” while actress Shama Sikandar wanted to “Wear each and every outfit for her TV shows.” As the Head Of Department – Jasmine Sarupria – beamed with pride at her protégées while ace choreographer Achla Sachdev directed the showing with sequences that redefined glamour and fun.

From having the models act like ‘taporis’ on stage for a sequence called “Mumbai to mum-bhai” to getting R.K. Laxman’s famous ‘The Common Man’ to walk on the ramp, the show was as entertaining as it was glamorous.

One sequence had famous models like Carol Gracias, Anchal Kumar and Bhavna Sharma acting like puppets on stage while another sequence saw them all dressed up and ready for a cook-out in the kitchen with spices dangling from the ears and clothes in the hues of mustard, chilli, saffron and turmeric.

From almost a dozen collections, designed by students in groups of twos and threes, few collections were obvious favourites among the audience and judges.

However, it was the KATPUTLI IN CANNES collection (byKhushboo Karnawat, Rishita Kansara and Ruchika Gododia) which garnered the most prestigious Collection of the Year Award.

With colours and motifs borrowed from Rajasthani puppets, this trio used colours of dry, arid sand to create a sensual collection of resort wear that promises to enliven your holiday experience with and easy and effortless charm.

This season Malini has put together all her favorite elements to create the Perfect summer wardrobe. Everything a Malini Ramani fan would need to take her through the sultry Indian nights and exotic summer travels. She has even put together a collection for those who are attending an ‘Indian Summer’ wedding.

From dramatic drapes in the seasons juiciest colors for the evenings, to soft cream jerseys with pop-colored applique work for the day, from bright and flowing Georgette sari’s  – this collection has it all! There are easy to wear separates in lightweight denim embellished with a modern take on ‘kutch embroidery. Miniskirts, capris, dresses and tunics, shorts and more.

Easy fabrics such as chiffon, fine lycra, cotton- silk, georgette and Malini’s favorite ‘jersey’ have been used for the collection.