Pallavi Jaikishan
Loved her trademark rosettes, flowers and crystal embellishments.
Bhairavi Jaikishan
Resham work done only on net!
Shyamal & Bhumika
Opulent zardosi embroidery for men gives a rich look.
Debarun
Blue and crimson thread embroidery on beige and black.
PS- Happy Independence Day!
Rohan Arora’s “Item” footwear
Rohan Arora’s collection featured slip-ons and sandals with ghungroos for women and men’s lace-up shoes with black embroidery. I tried on the five-inch heels and they were super comfy.
Neha Sharma’s hand-made jewellery
Neha’s statement neck pieces were of unconventional shapes and had mother of pearl, white agate, onyx and other semi precious stones placed on velvet. I especially liked the unusual use of zips in the necklaces.
Sannam Chopra’s leather accessories
Leather is not just for the boys, nor is it just for belts or wallets. Sannam’s coloured leather pieces were embellished with studs and rosettes. I also liked her leather bows and clutches (which she has promised to convert into iPad covers).
Felix Bendish
Felix’s range of accessories were bold in colour and embellishments- sequins, Swarovski crystals and feathers. I liked the cute clutches and brooches- eye catching stuff!
Some shows with noteworthy accessories:
Shivan & Narresh- Their studded neckpieces and belts were stunning, as always.
Pernia Qureshi- Loved the bags and clutches.
Priyadarshini Rao- Bright lace-ups with heels for women.
We love the present, but we can’t help looking back into the past especially when it comes to fashion. Every fashion lover seems to have a favourite moment from the days gone by. But I’ve looked back into the past to figure out whether the designers’ claims about the era are historically accurate.
Pernia Qureshi
Drop waist dresses from the 1920s. Bead work on luxe fabrics from the Fifties.
Historical accuracy: High
Anita Dongre
Knee and calf-length pencil skirts, dresses with pleats and gathers (1950s)
Historical accuracy: Moderate
Ritu Beri
Glamour, beauty and indulgence. (1950s)
Historical accuracy: Low (Nothing Marilyn Monroe about the collection, as the designer claimed)
Archana Kochhar
Prints from the 1970-80s- like checkerboard, geometric, zig zag.
Historical accuracy: Low (Prints from the 1970s-80s include florals, animal prints and even ink splattered.)
Internationally, peplums are not a new trend. The Duchess of Cambridge has been seen spotted in peplum dresses and skirts more than a few times, and some high street brands cleverly made it part of their summer collection. On the Indian fashion week ramps, peplums have grown up.
Take a look at the peplums at Lakme Fashion Week Winter/Festive 2012:
Soft peplums in light fabrics at Drashta
Belted peplums at Sailex
Elaborate 3D peplums at Rajat K Tangri
Peplum jackets at Nupur Kanoi
What’s your take on peplums?
My mind is a blur- I’ve seen abstract, bizarre, kaleidoscopic, psychedelic and many more prints over the past few days at Lakme Fashion Week Winter/Festive 2012. Here’s my picks of the prints spotted on the ramp.
Kaleidoscopic prints at Pankaj-Nidhi
Eccentric prints at Kallol Datta 1955 (moon faces, snails, safety pins!)
Doodles from Aartivijay Gupta’s book- sketches of faces and figure blocks.
Retro-geometric prints at Archana Kochhar
Rorschach inkblot test-like patterns at Ken Ferns
Geometric abstract prints at Shift by Nimish Shah
Which print do you want to wear in the new season?
Jatin Varma’s show was themed Dark Angels, hence the colour palette was initially limited to steel grey, later shifting to jewel tones like purple and and rich blue.
The collection comprised mini dresses and red carpet gowns with big shoulders and plenty of embellishment. The embellishments included metallic fringes, shimmery dust and gold discs and orbs. The details created a geometric pattern of sorts on the dresses, giving a bandage effect.
The designer also mixed ruffled fabrics and wool-like fabrics with the embellishments.
Vizyon played with panelling, cut outs and peplums on their cocktail dresses and floor-length gowns. The combination of black, white and colours like green created animal print style outlines. Shimmery jackets and trailing gowns and mermaid cuts also made an appearance. Details like fabrics rolls and folds added a classy touch.
One: Fashion shows by Pallavi Jaikishan (for the first time at Lakme Fashion Week), Ritu Beri, Shyamal & Bhumika, Shivan & Narresh, Swapnil Shinde!
Below: Swapnil Shinde at LFW S/R 2012
Two: New faces can usher in new fashion (hopefully). Pernia Qureshi of Aisha fame will be presenting her first collection on Saturday. I also enjoyed Nimish Shah and Payal Khandwala last season for their fresh take on design. And GenNext designers are always fun to watch!
Below: Shift by Nimish Shah at LFW S/R 2012
Three: Wendell Rodricks will release his memoirs The Green Room on the last day of fashion week. I can’t wait to read it.
Four: Kallol Dutta may look strange and “scary”, but his fashion is quirky and he’s got a great following. He will present at the grand finale with Pankaj-Nidhi- it will be a must-watch!
Below: Kallol Dutta and Pankaj-Nidhi with Purnima Lamba, Head Innovations, Lakme
What are you excited about this season of Lakme Fashion Week?
Collection theme: Debarun’s interpretation of divinity and the omnipresent Almighty.
Inspirations: Iznik tiles of Turkey for the texturing and embellishments.
What to expect: Fusion Indian silhouettes (flared, layered and dhoti-inspired skirts) and saris for women. Sherwarni with flair and shirt kurtas for men.
Key trends:
Watch out for: Mix of print and embellishments and playing with textures. If you’re Bollywood inclined, you’d be happy to see Richa Chadha as the showstopper.
Collection theme: Retro
What to expect: Geometric printed cocktail saris, playful tunics, fluid dresses and gowns. I’m liking the idea of a chessboard print on an embellished gown (see below). Maybe gowns will be fun after this.
Key trends:
Watch out for: The Indian alphabet as embellishments- a very desi twist!
