WIFW AW 2012

Look: The confident woman

At Kotwara by Meera Ali, the models wore breeches, skirts and ivory shirts in wool, chiffon, bamberg crepe and suede. The look combined structure and flowing lines, which I adore. I want to be this woman!

Look: The quirky woman

There were bright geeky glasses, printed shorts, skirts and dresses, along with funky motifs (exaggerated lips) at Niharika. You need to be very funky to carry off this look!

Hippie gone upmarket

Tanvi Kedia’s hippie-deluxe look is about non-conformist glamour with mish-mash of prints like sandwiched stripes, tapestry patterns and hazy geometrics.

Sheer in winter, anyone?

You can layer sheer fabrics in wintery colours like purple and dark blue with jackets, trousers and skirts this winter. Raj Shroff showed us how.

For the girl who wants to be a cop

For those dreamt of dressing in a khaki uniform for work, Rehane has the right look for you—caps and all!

For the music-loving geeky gal

Noise-cancelling headphones- check. Geeky glasses- check. Sequins- check. Feminine silhouette, manly shoes- check. It was all happening at Schon by Sakshi Pradhan!

For Gwenyth Paltow fans

If you liked Gwenyth Paltrow’s “cape” at yesterday’s Academy Awards, Tahera Peeran’s wraps are for you.

Accessories of the day:

Sling-bag with old-fashioned lock at Verb by Pallavi Singhee.

Carved bags at Virtues by Viral, Ashish and Vikrant.

Uncut diamonds and polki jewellery at JJ Valaya.

WTFashion moment of the day

Abdul Halder’s strategically-placed birds made me cringe. Which woman would want to wear this?

Fabulous ending

JJ Valaya ended WIFW A/W 2012 with a Turkish flourish. He used unusual art and craft based forms such as mother of pearl inlay, Turkish miniatures, Iznik Ceramics, weaves of the Sultan’s robes, exotic birds and graphic calligraphy in his jackets, dresses, breeches, shirts and blouses.

Customary Bollywood appearances of the day

Irfan Khan looking out of place at Kotwara by Meera Ali.

Kangana Ranaut all pouty and serious at JJ Valaya.

In 2012, Fashion, WIFW AW 2012

WIFW A/W 2012: What happened on Day 3

Speaking ChicFebruary 20, 2012February 20, 2012Leave a comment

Here’s what I learnt on Day 3 of Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week Autumn/Winter 2012.

The standard Indian inspirations were still on the ramp

Gujarat and Rajasthan have inspired designers across the world, and continue to do so. Abraham & Thakore harked back to their NID, Ahmedabad days with hand-woven and hand-printed textiles. (Below: Abraham & Thakore)

Meanwhile, at Pallavi Jaipur the designer combined Rajasthan’s colour, kitsch and patchwork with an urban flair. The key accessories were hair pieces.

Europe’s varied culture made for interesting fashion elements

Rajdeep Ranawat’s A Bohemian Legend was influenced by the gypsy way of life with rich fabrics and bohemian influences such as paint splatters, and contoured and colour blocked vines with Chantilly motifs. He used embellishments by Swarovski Elements, chains and leather tassels with pearls and filigree. (Below: Rajdeep Ranawat)

At Pankaj & Nidhi, the 200-year-old Polish folk art of Wycinanki (vih-chee-nan-kee) came to life with hand-cut felt fabrics appliquéd on to fabrics. Note the peacock and floral motifs.

I remembered by school days

Dev r Nil’s interpretation of Alice in Wonderland was a bit different from what I imagined when I read it in school, but the play with optics, butterflies, floating gold fishes and surreal flights was just as enchanting. (I now want to read the book again).

If there’s one thing I didn’t mind about “needlework” in school, it was the cross stitch. It was fun, easy, and I could use lots of colours! So I especially liked Pankaj & Nidhi’s cross stitch on leather, using wool yarn and silk tapes. And the cross stitch was done by punching holes in the leather to form a grid. Mesmerising stuff!

Surface textures excite me

Think splashes of blood red, orange and rust on black and grey texturised fabrics with surface ornamentation. Floral art work compliments sexy cut-outs in modern silhouettes—this happened at Bhanuni by Jyoti Sharma and I enjoyed almost every outfit I saw.

And Anand Bhushan created junkyard fashion by reinterpreting industrial steel, copper and other material through texture, form and colour. For instance, the dresses seemed like moulds or casts. The colours came from the effects of industrial methods like rusting, oxidation and tarnishing. Worth a look!

We all enjoy old wine in a new bottle

Manish Malhotra’s been working with Kashmiri embroidery over the last few seasons (even in movies like Bodyguard), and this season was no different. The intricate thread and zari work from Kashmir featured on borders of churidars, pants and saris, along with matching belts and sleeves. Some of the stuff did look familiar, but his fans would love it.

In 2012, Fashion, WIFW AW 2012

WIFW A/W 2012: Day 2 highlights

Speaking ChicFebruary 17, 2012February 17, 2012Leave a comment

Here is a summary of Day 2 at Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week Autumn/ WInter 2012, each in 15 words or less. Enjoy!

Myoho by Kiran & Megha: Fluid and structured, Aztec prints and layered embroidery in dusty brights and charcoal hues.

Nupur Kanoi: Dark “armour” for modern women with cording, pleating, kantha and quilting.

The Next Episode by Shantanu Singh: Wear the penguin- streamlined bodice, greys, black and white, with hints of yellow/ orange.

Vaishali S: Her “Khwaja” collection used hand woven organic cotton in unconventional silhouettes in black and white.

Chandrani Singh Fllora: Colours of sapphire with shibori dye techniques for “aqua” effects.

Dozakh by Kartikeya & Isha: Inspired by mystical Prague, they used their signature layering and tone on tone embroidery.

Taurus by Dhruv & Pallavi: Om-inspired headgear, deep contrasting colours with metallic gold embellishment on western silhouettes, drapes and layers.

Akaaro by Gaurav Jai Gupta: Industrial surfaces and men’s fabric create a metal chic look crossed with industrial Goth. Woah!

Anaikka: Dark crystals on constructed silhouettes can turn woman into warrior!

Pero by Aneeth Arora: Patchwork of fabrics from across India- khadis, ikats, pashminas (drawn from the travelling woman?).

Rishta by Arjun: Hybrid of shapes, textures, colours and silhouettes tell the worker’s dreams (burnt sequins) and reality.

Kavita Bhartia: Flowing prints, metallic embellishments (think gold marries black).

Nachiket Barve: Geometrical patterns and delicious colour effects, embellished with everything from mashru appliqué to patchwork.

Rakesh Agarvwal: Sexy evening wear in metallic and jewel tones.

Gaurav Gupta: Clean lines with calculated fluidity, in colours like midnight purple, tangerine and charcoal grey.

Customary Bollywood appearance of the day

Chitrangada Singh for Anaikka. Neckline too low, bust too tight. #Fail.

In 2012, Fashion, WIFW AW 2012

WIFW A/W 2012: Day 1 highlights

Speaking ChicFebruary 16, 2012February 16, 2012Leave a comment

Here’s a look at what happened on Day 1 of Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week Autumn/ Winter 2012.

All kinds of cocktail dresses

There were gorgeous metallic finish dresses at S&N Drape by Shantanu-Nikhil, while slinky satins with drapes and lower doses of bling made up James Ferreira’s collection.

Below: S&N Drape by Shantanu-Nikhil, James Ferreira

Prints of the day

I enjoyed the rippled reed, lotus and lotus leaf print on moss and leaf greens at Anand Kabra, while Anupama Dayal did not surprise with her choice of florals and geometrics (among her faves going by earlier collections).

Below: Anand Kabra, Anupama Dayal

The best prints of the day were the tie-and-dye (Indian and geometric) dresses at James Ferreira.

Below: James Ferreira

White, black and shades of nude

It’s amazing how white, black and nude appear different to each designer. For Vineet Bahl, a black canvas was the starting point, later moving on to earthier hues. (Below: Vineet Bahl)

At S&N Drape by Shantanu-Nikhil, the final set of garments were nude dresses with white embroidery, and they were gorgeous. And Anju Modi began with ivory and cream, and ended with black.

(Below: S&N Drape by Shantanu-Nikhil, Anju Modi)

International influences

Sixteenth century Spanish toreros (matadors) provided inspiration to Preeti Chandra. The toreros wore elaborately decorated ‘Traje de Luces’ or ‘suits of light’. She transformed the toreros’ Trajes de Luces (suits of light) into feminine forms with dabka and intricate embroideries on silks. (Below: Preeti Chandra)

Meanwhile, Vineet Bahl used vintage Romanian shawls and antique Sardinian embroideries on 1960s silhouettes for the world traveller. The Indian touch came with neon accents with kantha work and stone work on brocade. (Below: Vineet Bahl)

Anju Modi explored the diversity of cultures and their similarity with inspiration from Uzbekistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan touching the Kutch border. The free flowing silhouettes were the hallmark of the collection, with ‘sarabara’ or loose trousers worn by Scythians transformed into cowl trousers. Hand-woven fabrics (raw silk melding with textured cotton) brought an earthy edge to the collection. (Below: Anju Modi)

Accessories of the day

Footwear grabbed the spotlight with sexy stilettos for the glam party girl at S&N by Shantanu-Nikhil and summery, girly shoes at Anupama Dayal. Meanwhile, the dangling earrings at Preeti Chandra reminded me of the 1980s and Spanish country women.

(Below: S&N by Shantanu-Nikhil, Anupama Dayal, Preeti Chandra)

Makeup of the day

There were rosy pink cheeks at Anju Modi and painted lower lashes on Vineet Bahl and Preeti Chandra.

(Below: Anju Modi, Preeti Chandra)

Customary Bollywood appearance of the day:

Dia Mirza and Sameera Reddy at S&N Drape by Shantanu-Nikhil.

Showing all posts in WIFW AW 2012

WIFW A/W 2012: Key looks and moments from Day 5

WIFW A/W 2012: What happened on Day 3

WIFW A/W 2012: Day 2 highlights

WIFW A/W 2012: Day 1 highlights