“Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months,” quoted Oscar Wilde at his usual cynical best. Though how satirical he might be, but it’s this changeability of fashion which makes it interesting enough to hook its swains. Every season it’s the stripping cloaks of mystery and surprise which lend fashion its allure, and this season was no different.
A repertoire of interesting designs underscoring the style quotient when cold winds will knock the doors again came swaggering down the ramp at the Autumn Winter 2012 edition of Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week. With few elements left to last season, and a bunch of new making a wintery beeline, here is a lowdown of the trends.
Autumnal Hues
The latest Autumn Winter 2012 edition showed the color palette reflecting the shades of autumn. The abundance of the hues of red and earthy shades dominated the spectrum. Tarun Tahiliani’s pinky hues and ample of red in the collections of Gaurav Gupta, Rocky S and Anju Modi turned out to be an indicator of red cold winters this time. On the other hand, earthy hues by Anand Kabra and Sanchita Ajjampur varying from moss green to nude to blue.
The Altered Silhouettes
The highlight of the event remained the silhouettes altered to create new forms. Either cut innovatively and structured or employing pink tucks, wraps and drapes, the new interesting looks to watch out for came as a fresh whiff of air. Be it Tarun Tahiliani’s draped sari with silver chains or be it Anupama Dayal’s ethereal drapes, which by the way she herself carried flashing her one leg, saris appeared in unconventional way on the Indian ramp. Even Shantanu & Nikhil’s sari was draped differently, running across the torso and paired with a gold bustier
Besides, the form altering of conventional silhouettes came in the form of asymmetrical paneled and flared pants by Arjun Saluja, unevenly bifurcated pants by Anand Kabra and draped fit and flare pants by Kanika Saluja Choudhry. Moreover, apart from sheer to heavily studded pants there were fluttering jackets by Anju Modi and asymmetrical shawls-draped-to-jackets by James Ferreira.
Mix and Match of Fabrics
The play of textures, surface embellishments and appliques on strikingly opposite fabrics to put together a look remained one of the most alluring trends of the season. Whether its perforated leather skirts paired with felt appliqued tunics by Pankaj & Nidhi or merino wool teamed up with chanderi silk by Rahul Mishra, the collections emanated versatility. Even JJ Valaya used denim as detailing on the sheer dresses and jackets in harmony with lush velvets and silks.
Strokes of Sportiness
Though femininity has always been the focus of Indian designers but inclusion of few elements of sportswear saw this season vouching for comfort and experimentation.
Designer Anupama Dayal’s preppy colorful collection had sporty shoes and leggings paired with printed skirts and dresses. Similarly, Designer Rahul Mishra had an interesting tone of sportswear style mixed with handloom fabrics giving a youthful flavour to the collection. Besides, a host of other designers like Ritesh Kumar and Niharika Sharma also played subtly with active wear.
The ring of Metals
Apart from zardozi, zari and usual high dose of gold and silver work on Indian ensembles, there was also metal ringing loud on ramp coming as embellishment, or in the form of fabric. Anand Bhushan’s junkyard had abundant metal work done on garments through different techniques. Also Anaikka by Kanika Saluja Choudhry showed dresses with the play of metal through accessories or as appliques on garments to make a warrior out of its woman. Moreover, Gaurav Jai Gupta’s metallic fabrics and Rimzhim Dadu’s metallic dresses, skirts and jackets epitomized the strength of Indian fashion.
Prominence of Indian Crafts
One of the most substantial trends of the season is highlighted by the usage of Indian crafts and weaves by the designers sourced from the different parts of the country. Pero by Aneeth Arora’s range of traditional weaves had ikat, khadi, woven wool and pashmina. Even James Ferreira’s batiks from Gujarat, Manish Malhotra’s Kashmiri work and Abraham Thakore’s hand woven and hand painted textiles marked the abundance of Indian crafts on ramp while showing a brilliant fusion of textiles.
