WLIFW SS 2012

Highlights of Day 5 at Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2012 in Delhi:

Prints galore!

From nature-inspired prints to geometric and the increasingly-popular digital prints, the mind-boggling range of prints have got us excited for next year’s summer already!

Below: Rajdeep Ranawat, Vineet Bahl, Geisha by Paras & Shalini

Drapes dominated

Drapes are feminine, flattering and can be sexy. Ruches, ruffles, gathers and more—you can never run out of ways to wear them.

Below: Amit GT, Rohit Gandhi-Rahul Khanna, Rehane

Subtle is sweet

The fashion scene today reflects the urge to grab five seconds of fame with statement accessories, plunging necklines and rising hemlines. So it was refreshing to see subtlety on the ramp in a country obsessed with larger-than-life style. The subtle looks meant delicate accessories and lighter or no embellishments.

Below: Rehane, Geisha by Paras & Shalini, Vineet Bahl

Contrasting looks of the day

The sweet, understated, modern Indian woman at Virtues.

Rohit Gandhi-Rahul Khanna’s diva from the future—bold and adventurous.

Accessory of the day

There’s a feather is Rajdeep Ranawat’s hat! Cute!

In Fashion, WLIFW SS 2012

WLIFW S/S 2012: Day 4 highlights

Speaking ChicOctober 18, 2011November 5, 2011Leave a comment

The highlights of Day 4 at Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2012:

White and blue make for a fabulous summer combo

While white was all over the WLIFW S/S 2012 runway on Day 4, the non-colour found an unlikely colour complement in blue. Mynah’s Reynu Taandon used white and blue prints in her resort wear collection, while Rahul Singh used splashes of blue (literally!) on garments for a dreamy abstract look to his collection.

Below: Mynah’s Reynu Taandon, Rahul Singh

Material Mix

Mixing materials has not been as rampant as it has been in the past few months on Indian ramps. After Swapnil Shinde used acrylic and PVC at LFW W/F 2011, Alpana-Neeraj used transparent plastic with flowy chiffon and drapes to create an unlikely world dominated by body-hugging non-fabric shapes. Meanwhile, at James Ferreira I loved his use of khadi with fabrics like crepes and silk for a modern Indian look. And BTW, Anand Bhushan used feathers on his dresses!

Below: Alpana-Neeraj, James Ferreira, Anand Bhushan

East meets West… again!

In something as universal as fashion, east and west are mere labels. And like most trends, fusion is fun! So when Dev r Nil combines batik with pop art (think Indian-style rosettes as funky prints) and Anita Dongre uses Indian embroidery on western silhouettes, there’s reason to cheer. And how can we forget James Ferreira’s contribution to nationalism—khadi worn in contemporary styles?

Below: Dev r Nil, Anita Dongre, James Ferreira

Fabric detailing

Pin tucks and applique have been around for a while, but their use has now evolved into being the centrepiece of a garment, creating shapes or effects that showcase the designers’ skill. Since we now see entire collections based on detailing like pleats, ruffles, gathers, twists and rolls, we know designers have better command over fabrics than ever before. Atsu Sekhose highlighted the neck and waist, Rahul Mishra created soft rainbow bands all over with pin tucks, and at Saaj by Ankita made rope by twisting fabric.

Below: Atsu by Atsu Sekhose, Rahul Mishra, Saaj by Ankita

Trend of the day: Sheer

Below: Atsu by Atsu Sekhose, Niket & Jainee, Anita Dongre

Prints of the day

Sunglasses on pants at Dev r Nil, animal print at Mynah’s Reynu Taandon.

WTFashion Moment of the Day

Dress that outlines your twin assets, an oddly-placed oversized rose with a trail, tulle wrapped around a dress, mismatching colours… sigh!

Look of the day

Feminine, formal and flattering shape at Atsu.

Makeup of the day

Thick blue eyeliner at Mynah’s Reynu Taandon. Super like!

Accessory of the day

Gandhi cap at James Ferreira—a political statement, perhaps?

Celeb appearance of the day

Gauhar Khan for Rahul Mishra.

In Fashion, WLIFW SS 2012

WLIFW S/S 2012: Day 3 highlights

Speaking ChicOctober 14, 2011November 5, 2011Leave a comment

A glimpse of the top collections on Day 3 of Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2012:

Divyam Mehta

The designer used bold kantha stitch with deliberate flaws along with Japanese techniques for a easy-going collection. Divyam used lighter fabrics like linen, mul and silk chiffon to offset the dark-ish colour palette (using lots of indigo).

Hemant & Nandita

Hemant & Nandita’s collection was called “Happily Unmarried” and we know why. Women walked freely wearing body-hugging bodices with gathered skirts. We loved the abstract digital prints inspired from flora. I’d love to wear them!

Ela by Joyjit Talukdar

Playing with “engineered” textures and multi-dimensional silhouettes, Joyjit treated fabrics in various ways to create a variety of textures and accessories. He paid special attention to waistlines and yokes.

Nida Mahmood

A kitsch lover, Nida Mahmood’s show and collection was Bollywood-inspired. This time the designer focussed on the geeky look, and combined bold colours with digital and tie-and-dye prints for the quirky Indian woman.

Nikasha Tawadey

Off-whites and soft colours, flounces and loose tunics—Nikasha Tawadey’s collection gears you up for a dreamy summer. This summer will be about keeping it simple and sweet.

Shantanu Goenka

From regal prints to rich zardozi, Shantanu Goenka’s Marie Antoinette-themed collection had it all. Using vintage silhouettes, the designer mixed colours like pastel colours like pink with beige and gold. The construction techniques used were ruffles, pintucks, life-like embellishments and appliqué. BTW, Kangana Ranaut made a ramp appearance for the designer.

Who is your pick of Day 3 at Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2012?

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WLIFW SS 2012: Day 2 highlights

Speaking ChicOctober 12, 2011November 5, 2011Leave a comment

What we saw on the ramp on Day 2 of Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2012:

Colours were neutral, muted and then mixed

From ivory to white to beige, we noted a hint of neutrals, mixed cleverly with vibrant colours for a quintessential summery look.

Below: Manoj Dubey, Urvashi Kaur, Manish Gupta

Fabrics, textures and surfaces ruled

Indian designers showcased their skill and adeptness with fabrics through a variety of techniques. There was patchwork at Kavita Bhartia, Japanese structures at Sanchita, and wide variety of materials at Morphe by Amit Aggarwal. Shipra Gupta opted for layering and tiers to add quirkiness to her garments. We also enjoyed the innovative cutwork at Bhanuni by Jyoti Sharma.

Below: Shipra Gupta, Sanchita, Morphe by Amit Aggarwal, Bhanuni by Jyoti Sharma

Embellishments got a new meaning

Embellishments ranged from thread embroidery to metallic, even as WLIFW designers experimented with other materials to bring a special touch to their collections. At Bhanuni by Jyoti Sharma, embroidery motifs were used in a 3-dimensional manner using threadwork and beads. Manoj Gupta used bead work, buttons, laces, tapes, silk threads to make diagonal stripes, swirls and circles, while Namrata Joshipura brought her garments to life with metallic embellishments on textured surfaces.

Below: Bhanuni by Jyoti Sharma, Manoj Gupta, Namrata Joshipura

Sheer is here

Sheer has been a rising trend on the international fashion scene for a while now, and it’s now on Indian ramps as well. The bold sheer-ness at Label by Ritu Kumar, see-throughs at Samant Chuahan, and mix of transparent and opaque fabrics at Taurus by Dhruv & Pallavi are wonderful excuses to wear see-through six months down the line.

Below: Label by Ritu Kumar, Samant Chauhan

Look of the day:

The sophisticated woman at am: pm (Ankur and Priyanka Modi) draped in rich fabric for a glam evening out on town—and chooses not to wear a dress or gown.

Accessories of the day:

Neckpieces at Samant Chauhan; forehead jewellery at Kavita Bhartia.

Makeup and hair of the day:

Bright pink lipstick at Manoj Dubey; side updos at Manish Gupta.

Below: Manoj Dubey, Manish Gupta

WTFashion moment of the day:

That moment when model walked down the ramp by Sanchita wearing supersized headgear and minimal clothing. Wonder what the model was thinking. Any guesses?

What did you like from Day 2 at WLIFW S/S 2012?

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WLIFW SS 2012: Day 1 highlights

Speaking ChicOctober 10, 2011November 5, 2011Leave a comment

Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2012 kicked off on October 8, 2011 in New Delhi. Here’s what happened on Day 1 (Saturday):

There were colours… lots of them!

True to the upcoming season, India’s designers showed us colours to brighten the summer of 2012. There were plenty of colours all around, ranging from bright to soft—we spotted orange, hot pink, blue and red.

Below: Gauri & Nainika; Nachiket Barve; Rajesh Pratap Singh

Meanwhile, there was white (and pastels) too!

Who says white is not a colour? Rahul Reddy and Rimzim Dadu proved otherwise, even as some designers played with soft pastels.

Below: Rahul Reddy, My Village by Rimzim Dadu, Rajesh Pratap Singh, Nandita Basu

Meanwhile, Indian styles dominated

Rajesh Pratap Singh showcase ikat tunics, dresses and kurtas. Meanwhile, Aneeth Arora brought out the famous Madras checks and floral prints on dresses, coats and trousers. Nandita Basu combined kantha work with details like pleats and cowls.

Below: Rajesh Pratap Singh, Pero by Aneeth Arora, Nandita Basu

Silhouettes were more structured than fluid

While most of us tend to associate summer with loose silhouettes, flowy garments and easy-going outfits, the designers surprised us with silhouettes that were had cleaner lines, robust shapes and a complexity-in-detail approach. But are they summer-ready? Yep!

Below: Rahul Reddy, My Village by Rimzim Dadu, Nandita Basu

Embellishments were subtle

Malini Ramani used her favourite little mirrors to embellish, while Nachiket Barve used his favourite floral appliqué along with silvery leaves.

Below: Malini Ramani, Nachiket Barve

Look of the day

The cheeky girls wearing uniform-like garments and headgear at Gauri & Nainika.

Accessory of the day

The applique envelope clutch at Nachiket Barve… fabulous! (Close contender: Fluorescent belts and chappals at Rahul Reddy.)

Below: Nachiket Barve, Rahul Reddy

Celeb appearance of the day

The customary Bollywood appearance on Day 1 at Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week SS 2012 was by the cast of upcoming movie My Friend Pinto, Prateik and Kalki Koechlin for Rina Dhaka. Do they look good? Sure. As for the clothes—best left unsaid. 😉

What are your favourites from Day 1 of Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week SS 2012?

Showing all posts in WLIFW SS 2012

WLIFW S/S 2012: Day 5 highlights

WLIFW S/S 2012: Day 4 highlights

WLIFW S/S 2012: Day 3 highlights

WLIFW SS 2012: Day 2 highlights

WLIFW SS 2012: Day 1 highlights