The Grand Finale of recently concluded three days fashion extravaganza ABIL Pune Fashion Week 2012 witnessed designer Vikram Phadnis spelling elegance through every woven thread of his collection.

The glitz and grandeur was very much the tacit backdrop of this show which featured a concoction of Indian and western wear for men and women by the designer. A medley of different colors, textures and forms, the collection came up as season appropriate – with the summery sense, perfect for resort. The collection featured cigarette pants, palazzos, skirts, kalidaars teamed up with bundis, structured jackets and capes.

The fabrics of the collection ranged from nets, georgettes, linens and voiles to pashminas creating the silhouettes which were chic and classy. The detailing in the form of lavish gotta work and tassels on stoles and scarves were the highlights of the collection. The color palette comprised of creams, gold and black predominantly with a hint of prints. 

The 3rd season of the recently concluded ABIL Pune Fashion Week 2012 saw the glitter and glamour of the fashion world taking over the city. The three days of unparalleled creativity and talent, along with celebrity endorsement had an array of veterans and young designers belting out their intriguing renditions.

The day 1 of the fashion week opened with the well-known Mumbai based designer Swapnil Shinde who presented his futuristic eccentric take on fashion through his 80s inspired collection with chiffon galore. The outlandish designs by Swapil Shinde were followed by sobriety and classicism of Samanth Chauhan showcasing his mix of Indian and western wear for both men and women in hues of whites, petals and browns. Kolkatta based designer Joy Mitra had his noticeable say with an all black western wear range, along with colorful Indian dresses comprising of saris and lehangas. The day ended with beautiful resort wear collection by Raakesh Agarwal who brought laser cut gowns in whites, blue, beige and yellow to the fore.

The glitz meeting creativity ruled the 2 day of the week with designers Payal Singhal and Malini Agarwalla showcasing the heavily embroidered lehangas and suits in black, grey and silver, along with footwear, ramp bags and accessories inspired by a resort in South Africa. Designer Surily Goel also showcased her collection of Indian wear with light colors comprising of pinks, peaches and lemon yellow whereas designer Sanjay Hingoo’s men’s wear collection featured funky motifs on suits and trousers.

The final day opened on glamorous notes with the collection of three designers Nitya Bajaj, Ritika Bharwani and Shraddha & Mayank on display. Nitya Bajaj’s collection consisted of long flowing gowns and dresses in white while Ritika had a mix of captivating silhouettes with statement making embellishment of diamonds, lace and pearls. Shraddha & Mayank’s collection came out as funny, flirty and glamorous assortment of light and breezy dresses, tunics and versatile separates. Another spectacular show of the day was by Babita Malkani who showcased her latest resort wear in glamorously styled silhouettes. The opulence of Renaissance period was created by Anjalee & Arjun’s collection comprising of exquisite bodices, corsets, flowing blouses, skirts, anarkalis and lehangas with asymmetrical hemlines and bold necklines.

Even the idea of wool in summers is more or less scary to send heat waves down one’s spine, and wearing it when mercury rises, is definitely a kind of masochism, or say, some unrequited love for wool.

Though wool and summers don’t go hand in hand but when it comes to merino wool fabric, it’s no longer in traits of it to pester when temperature is high. An innovative and unique natural fibre by The Woolmark Company helps one stay warm when the weather is cold and cool when it’s hot.

An entirely renewable natural resource, merino wool is soft and gentle on skin and prevents from odour problems in hot weather conditions besides absorbing the extra moisture generated from heat and obstructing static build up to avoid cloth clinging; making it a great drape material. It’s also being claimed to protect skin from UV radiation.

Endorsing the values of eco-fibre and hand woven textiles Deepika Govind presented yet another first, Denim Green an Organic Denim Collection for men and women.  Denim Green comprises a limited edition hand-woven denim collection in organic cotton, which offers short dresses, handcrafted jeans for men and women, simple structured tops and a selection of bags.

The future is about making luxury pieces that last, says Deepika,so I have created a collection based on a wardrobe full of iconic pieces, with new fits, which are simple yet true to the canvas – Denim Green.The organic denim goes through the wet process in a plain rinse wash with a simple enzyme, which is not harmful to the environment besides consuming minimum water.  In the dry process, scraping, whiskering, grinding, creating a distress look, notching and tacking are some of the techniques carried out.

Additionally, I have used a dying process that is 100% natural: natural organic indigo is extracted directly from the indigo plant and then the cotton is dyed by hand in a process that is chemical free and little uses of electricity. The fabric is then sundried, giving the denim an amazing array of blues. Not to mention my favourite white denim in organic cotton, is bleach free. The hand-stitched labels are of pure gold zari, dyed in the exotic Tyrian Purple. Tyrian Purple, also known as royal purple, is extracted from sea snails, which was possibly first produced by the ancient Phoenicians. This dye was greatly prized in antiquity because it did not fade but become more intense with weathering and sunlight.

Denim Green collectionis currently available in Deepika Govind stores in Bangalore and Delhi and ispriced at Rs. 4500 onward forbasic jeans, for both men and women; with the tyrian purple threadwork on thelabel, the price would be Rs 6000, with the use of a pure silver button; with goldbuttons, the price would be in the range of Rs. 15,000.  Denim Green pricing would vary according to thevariety and quality of high-end organic denim. Denim Green structured tops: Rs4500/- ; Denim Green dress:  Rs 6,000/-.