April 2016 - Page 16 of 16

Known for her very practical organic clothing, Mrinalini Gupta ‘Banaras’ was a feminine fashionable offering of minimal rustic glamour. The silhouettes were comfortable layered and cinched at the waist with belts, there were floppy homeless jackets, coffee soaked shirts, tea stained tunics, waistcoats, bag jackets, loosely knotted kurtas and lungi skirts.

The pale and dark tones of beige were perfectly combined for the mix and match separates. Ribbed knits appeared for long sleeve hand knitted Tees worn with baggy draped pants. Indigo crushed cotton was turned into voluminous pants, while collared gilets, sleeveless cropped tops and frayed edge slip-on covers added style to the look.

Harem pants were a constant in the collection, along with some interesting crinkle pants sporting folded cuffs at the waist. The pleated paper bag harem pants looked comfy with the patched elbow shirt, while long figure hugging maxis, grey drop-crotch pants and front knotted top, were relaxed additions. The final slim line of maxis was teamed with pencil skirts, while the red skirt and cropped top with a cool cover completed the look.
Saris were given the contemporary treatment edged with detailing or lace, while some were livened with red and black borders.

A veteran in the fashion circuits, designer Swati Vijaivargie unveiled her collection ‘Bagh’ at the Lakme Fashion Week. The show portrayed the intricate medieval Chintz prints, a mesmerizing heirloom of the past, revisiting and reinventing the classic floral print. A mélange of then and now, the collection showcased entrancingly delicate chintz motifs which translated poetry into design. The models walked down the runway wearing breezy outfits that contemporized traditional silhouettes of the flowy abayas, pajamas and chogas to reflect modern sensibilities, while keeping true to the essence of the original inspirations.

Intricate aari embroidery and appliqué work layered delicately over gorgeous shibori prints spelled magnificence. The ramp radiated an elegant yet playful colour palate ranging from ivory to coral, crimson, turquoise, Prussian blue and sage.

The Maitake collection by Priyanka Ella Lorena Lama for her label P.E.L.L.A. was an ethereal and eclectic Zen like offering. Inspired by the transcendence of the mind that desires to move into an idealistic realm, she allowed her creativity to move into an unconventional fashion zone.

Weaving her creative talents around an exotic milieu of fabrics, the designer selected fragile light hand woven pure Eri, Ahimsa silk, Cashmere and Pashmina. The shade card was as subdued and sublime as the theme, when warm beige tones were the centre of attraction. There was some ingenious surface texturing with reclaimed pine wood and silk thread-work that gave the collection a futuristic touch.

Developed from a single block of fabric, the patterns were cleverly tessellated to form silhouettes that were relaxed and languid. Extreme easy volumes appeared for serene capes with hints of tie-ups at the waist. At times dramatically angular, the ensembles had a New Age feel that spelt femininity of a high order.

Short dhotis, frayed edged loose tunics and capes, kaftan with hooded long covers, extreme long sleeves with a straight jacket inspiration and a sleeve-cum-stole for the midi were great unconventional construction directions. Fringes, ‘V’ neck tulip drape midi, seamless armholes with trailing hemline for slim maxi, the fluffed cotton-ball-covered yoke dress and a front draped coffee toned Grecian maxi completed the almost spiritual line.

Swati & Sunaina invoked the spirit of Radha for their sensuous creations in soothing and calm pastel shades, hand loomed with affection, pay homage to a wearer’s purest and calmest incarnation, to her very own Radha.

This collection finds itself rooted in the aspiration to engage India’s strength today – the empowered women youth and connect them to their land’s fledgling hand woven heritage. From its incipiency, every sari was tested on the benchmark of wearability, convenience, comfort to resonate with our active young ladies while quietly weaving into the narrative a tale of revived weaves, skillfully handspun fine cottons and luxurious Zari tissues.

Standing strong on innovation, reverence of tradition and doggedly persistence, this assemblage is a culmination of years of toil. Time was spent convincing weavers to rework on a highly technical weave of “Rung – Kat” that was almost extinct and will, again, find an audience now.

Muslins, woven with finest handspun cotton in gossamer ike Jamdanis gave a relaxing, calming option for the scorching summer sun. To complete the spectrum of day to night options, festive eveningwear was also revisited with preamble of a beautiful non-silk option – Aab-ae-rawan (woven like a dream) shimmering, pure Zari sari. This molten gold like textile has a tender, malleable drape decorated with vintage, Mughal motif.

A woman’s eternal love for jewellery resonates in our motific coinage of vintage pieces into the warp and weft of our fresh experimental creations while successfully rendering a 3D effect.

The designer brilliantly played with the hues of summer in shades like corals, light blues, pinks, beige that mellow the lines of demarcation between national and international, lending a pertinent fashion perspective to a jetsetter woman.