Contributed by – Duhin Ganju & Shefali Jauhar

(DAY-5)

As the luxury fashion fiesta came to an end, Day 5 witnessed a short number of designers who showcased a rich array of breathtaking collections that swayed the audience into a wonderful dream. From Stephanie Coudert’s sharp and minimalistic cuts to Zuhair Murad’s extravagantly detailed gowns, each designer definitely did justice to the exquisite garments by showing exemplary craftsmanship and a rich brand heritage.

Stephanie Coudert: The French designer portrayed ‘modern minimalism’ by putting up a very straightforward show. The designer had used a lot of abstract graphic prints crinkled tops with shirt collars, worn under notched lapel loose coats. Also, a lot of wrap dresses, pleated at the bottom, were seen being worn with silk belts and nude platform pumps. From A-line skirts to harem pants, intricate embroidery on sheer and tulle layered garments bought a very rich look to the uber-cool collection. A very bright color palette was used to design the collection and mostly straight-fitted garments were drenched in rich pastels of tangerine, black, white and mustard with hints of gold and beige.

Zuhair Murad: The Lebanese designer’s couture show was one of the most anticipated ones and it definitely ended on a ‘luxe’ note. The collection was mainly inspired by the ‘God of Water’ and models walked in a spectacle of gowns that contained marvelous jewel-encrusted trails. Puffed-up tulle shoulders, plunging necklines and heavily embellished bodysuits brought a certain amount of lightness to the lavishly embroidered couture garments. Also, some of the standout pieces form the show were the floor-seeping evening gowns that had intricate lacework and floral embroidery done on them. Swarovski-encristed meatl belts and metallic strappy sandals made the perfect accessory combo to the dreamscape of rich garments. A lot of attention was paid to the sophisticated draping and layering as the purely seductive garments were enveloped in a very subtle color palette consisting of subtle tones of aqua blue, baby pink, white, dusty beige and lemon green.

Ralph & Russo: The designer-duo showcased great elegance and opulence in their haute couture collection. The collection started with soft and dreamy colours in white, cream, light blue, mauve, moving towards black. The showcase started with form fitting dresses pinched at the waist and wide towards the hip that was reminiscent of the ideal age-old feminine silhouette. Playing with structure and drapes, they presented pleats, peplum, gowns with capes, high-low dresses to the works. Great attention to detail was paid in terms of embellishment and acute focus on the structure. The highlights of the collection were towards the end with dreamy gowns with drapes almost resembling petals and definitely, the embellished wedding gown.

Serkan Cura:The collection presented by this particular designer was very off-beat & avant garde in approach. The colour palate maintained were in shades of neutral tones like black, white, cream along with a dash of colour in steel blue and red. Great emphasis was laid on structure of the garments and innovative use of material.There was a hint of the past with corset structures on the runway. Being an haute-couture show, luxury was displayed at its finest and great generosity was displayed in terms of feathers and fur on the runway.

The epitome of luxury fashion shows finally came to an end, it’s time to wave goodbye to all the couturiers of Paris Couture Week S/S’2015. There were designers like Ralph & Russo whose collection drifted you into a fairytale, Serkan Cura who reshaped couture with his futuristic collection &Zuhair Murad whose collection never lets you stop fantasizing.

Capturing the beauty, vivacity and charm of spring, Manish Gupta held the promotion of his latest Spring/Summer 2015 collection – ‘Florence’ at Collage, Chennai.

Evoking the desire and magnetism created by the diverse and myriad forms of womanhood, Manish Gupta’s exclusive collection is largely inspired by floral motifs and feminine artworks. The collection includes hand woven chanderi dresses, silk georgette gathered dresses, net asymmetrical dresses, chiffon gowns embroidered structured skirts and silk organza sheer jackets, in pastel hues – lemon grass, misty blue, beige, pale yellow and ivory.