Lakme Fashion Week

I’ve declared Accessories Week this week at Speaking Chic! Here’s kicking off the series with my favourite accessories at Lakme Fashion Week Winter/ Festive 2013. Scroll down for more on the accessories featured in the slide show.

Shoes at Shantanu Goenka

Shoes at Sneha Arora

Bags at Square Loop by Kanika Sachdeva

Bags at Square Loop by Kanika Sachdeva

Clutches by Karieshma Sarna

Neckpiece from House of Chic

Accessories at House of Chic

Nitya Arora accessories at LFW WF 2013

Nitya Arora accessories at LFW WF 2013

Hair jewels at Pria Kataria Puri

Hair jewels at Pria Kataria Puri

Maang tikka at Shyamal & Bhumika

Hair accessories at Shantanu Goenka

Loved the shoes at…

Shantanu Goenka: Wonderfully embellished and to match the outfits!

Sneha Arora: No-nonsense manly shoes are required for war, even if it’s only on the ramp.

Aditi Holani: The cut-out shoes went well with the distressed look.

Noteworthy bags at…

Square Loop by Kanika Sachdeva: Neutral boxy leather bags are just right for work.

Karieshma Sarna: Her embellished clutches are winners all the way through.

And jewellery…

House of Chic: Spikes, skulls and dark metal…. it’s all goth!

Valliyan: Nitya Arora has been on the fashion week circuit for a while now… and we know why she’ll always be popular.

A word on hair accessories

I’ve always believed hair accessories are the most under-rated accessories… so the maang tikkas at Shyamal & Bhumika, bird clips at Shantanu Goenka, and butterflies at Pria Kataria Puri have made their place in my personal lookbook. 🙂

In LFW WF 2013

LFW WF 2013: The best evening wear trends (with gif & instant style tips)

Speaking ChicSeptember 8, 2013September 8, 2013Leave a comment

Architecture at Amit Aggarwal
Amit Aggarwal’s dresses were beyond ordinary red carpet gowns. They were architectural wonders, sculpted and moulded in a fine manner with metal, drape, chiffon and jersey. You got to be bold to wear this look.

Instant style tip: Look for skirt and 60s inspired dresses that have a bit of buckram or tough lining that support the flare.

(Taken on Nokia Lumia 820)

Gold at Vikram Phadnis
Sticking to our favourite metal (and festive colour), Vikram Phadnis’s dresses, jumpsuits and separates were rich and very wearable. Especially if you love gold too. 🙂

Instant style tip: This one’s easy enough for the bling lovers. If you aren’t one, you could always carry a sequinned clutch or pair of shoes.

[Check out the slide show below… more info after the jump!]

Bold construction at Jatin Varma
Jatin Varma combined structure with fluidity in eye-catching colours (shocking pink and cobalt blue). The nylon mesh and crochet binding on the intricate gowns were stunning!

Instant style tip: Tough to find, even tougher to wear. Best to pay a visit to the designer himself!

Fire on the ramp at Kommal Sood
Kommal Sood presented gorgeous cocktail dresses that shone bright in fiery colours. I loved the idea of orange evening wear and short capes.

Instant style tip: Mix and match sequinned pieces with luxurious separates for an offbeat red carpet look.

Dark ages at Rocky Star
Black has turned into Rocky Star’s signature statement, this time with lace, tulle, silk and velvet. Sheer was everywhere, and so was opulence. Only for the daring!

Instant style tip: This look has to be worn with stark makeup or you’ll look “incomplete”. The lips should be dark and the eyes deeply coloured.

In LFW WF 2013

LFW WF 2013: The best of festive wear

Speaking ChicSeptember 3, 2013September 2, 2013Leave a comment

Now that Lakme Fashion Week Winter/Festive 2013 has ended, it’s time to make some serious fashion choices for the upcoming season (Diwali, weddings and more). Lehengas, anarkalis, saris and more… take your pick from my shortlist. Take inspirations from these designer outfits so you can celebrate looking stylish. 😉

PS — Don’t miss the cool cinemagraphs shot from the Nokia Lumia 820 embedded below.

Debarun
Debarun’s festive, yet non blingy collection mixed beige, ivory and red, with a geometric print forming the “base” of the collection.

Manish Malhotra
The two trends to take away from this collection– chic mirror work and desi-inspired colour blocking.

SVA by Sonam & Paras Modi
Peacock motifs and earthy colours dominated Sonam & Paras Modi’s SVA Couture collection. The embellishments were just about right– not too OTT.

Payal Singhal
Black is almost an acceptable colour now for the festive season (if not weddings), and paired with pale blush pink it made quite an impact. Also, the printed dupattas with colour blocked lehengas are a new look to try.

Ritika by Vivek Kumar
Vivek Kumar’s collection is for those who wan an “Indo-western” look. I liked the embroidered yokes and some of the metallic embellishments.

In Accessories, LFW SR 2013, Men

LFW SR 2013: Men’s accessories of the week

Speaking ChicApril 2, 2013April 2, 2013Leave a comment

Surprise, surprise! Men’s accessories suddenly grabbed the spotlight at Lakme Fashion Week Summer Resort 2013. Here’s a look at the top accessories for the guys:

Bags

Bags for boys were spotted in several shows—Shantanu-Nikhil and Arjun Khanna, to name a few

Brooches

Elegance personified at Rohit & Abhishek for Woven Gold.

Shoes

High-top sneakers at Kunal Rawal are the ultimate in cool shoes!

Mojris aren’t usually seen in fashion shows, so this was a pleasant surprise at the Rohit & Abhishek show.

In Accessories, LFW SR 2013

LFW SR 2013: Bags of the week

Speaking ChicApril 2, 2013April 2, 2013Leave a comment

Shimmery beach bags

They’re shiny, they’re bejewelled, and they’re supersized. Check out the beach bags at Pia Pauro!

Wooden clutches

Wooden carvings from the Renaissance appeared on clutches at Sounia Gohil. Do we need another reason to believe they were romantic, luxurious times?

Urban laptop bags

Bags for the busy working woman are simple, carefully crafted and neutral—as seen at Nishka Lulla (bags by Vitasta).

In Accessories, LFW SR 2013

LFW SR 2013: Footwear of the week

Speaking ChicApril 2, 2013April 2, 2013Leave a comment

Kolhapuris gone wild

Aprajita Toor’s footwear was part of designer Debarun’s ramp show. This designer seems to love to give a personal touch to the typical kolhapuris and sandals. The colours are bright, the embellishments are cute though kitschy—the ones who love the Indian boho look will like these shoes.

Vintage shoes

These wedges from Frou Frou by Archana Rao are embroidered to go with the vintage theme of her collection. Notice the cross-stitch pair on the top left. Archana Rao is perhaps the kind of designer who wants her collection to be exactly the same theme, right down to the last detail (there were similar prints/ embroidery in her garments).

Unusual (weird?) shoes
Megha Garg had some very unusual shoes. From afar, they seemed like boxes. A friend had to point out that these “green things” were actually footwear. 😛

In Fashion, LFW SR 2013

LFW SR 2013: The best jewellery of the week

Speaking ChicApril 2, 2013April 1, 2013Leave a comment

While I enjoy watching clothes at the fashion shows, sometimes the best part of the shows are the accessories—whether it’s the bags, shoes or jewellery. At Lakme Fashion Week Summer Resort 2013, there were plenty of accessories on the ramp, and some were as exquisite as the clothes. Here’s a closer look at the best jewellery at LFW SR 2013. (More accessories to come in future posts).

Best Jewellery

Pallavi Foley’s designs focus on “movement”, customisation and unusual shapes, but are still wearable at all sorts of occasions.

This was my first chance to see Pallavi Foley’s creations up close and I liked what I saw, especially the way she moulds the metal into shapes with white spaces. I took a fancy to these earrings. 🙂

Suhani Pittie’s tribal-inspired work was a tad disappointing this time, because the tribal-inspired pieces almost seemed kitschy and repetitive. Some of the pieces were ordinary (like the kadas), though she’s still with complex neckpieces.

Amrapali, as usual, was great (as seen in Vikram Phadnis’s show for Swades Foundation).

In Fashion, LFW SR 2013

LFW SR 2013: Best designer stalls!

Speaking ChicMarch 31, 2013March 31, 2013Leave a comment

Fashion week is not just about the fashion shows, trends and celeb showstoppers. It’s also about taking a closer look at my favourite or upcoming designers’ collections in the “stalls” area (it’s called The Source at Lakme Fashion Week). In this season of LFW, a few desginers chose to showcase their collection in creative ways that were in like with the theme of their collection. Here are the best stalls from Lakme Fashion Week Summer Resort 2013 (in no particular order):

Pia Pauro’s Greek boathouse

Check out the wooden slats, sailoring equipment and the hat hung on the wheel.

Anushree Reddy’s charming salon

Cute picture-frames, vintage furniture and the very girly white-and-pink theme!

Arjun Khanna’s men’s tailoring boutique

It’s got the feel of a royal hunting lodge!

In Fashion, LFW SR 2013, Men

LFW SR 2013: Sanjay Hingu plays with neon colours and details for men

Speaking ChicMarch 28, 2013March 28, 2013Leave a comment

There are very few menswear designers who can create collections that make an impact. Sanjay Hingu is one of them. For Lakme Fashion Week Summer Resort 2013, he used just a few colours in the collection. So green, brown and red dominated, while neon pink made a guest appearance. This hot colour was on piping, lapels, collars and button plackets. The colour also peeked out from below jackets (on shirts). I like how he kept the jackets and pants simple, but played around with the few colours and details for attractive evening (and maybe even day) outfits for guys.

I can imagine men not liking the idea of wearing a neon colour, but if Indian men can wear maroon, yellow and green pants, why not just a bit of neon in their ensemble? Now that they are daring to wear colours, might as well wear them loud and proud!

In Fashion, LFW SR 2013

LFW SR 2013: Debarun has fun with shapes in his new pret line

Speaking ChicMarch 22, 2013Leave a comment

Debarun’s collection for his brand new pret line Be You is all about weaved striped fabric, especially kora cotton and cotton viscose. The prints featured in the collection were block prints, circles and stripes, reminding me of my middle school geometry class.

But hey, this collection was anything but boring. Even the block prints were geometric (check out the scarf in the picture above). The tops, ganjis, jackets and dresses were wearable and trendy. I prefer Debarun’s Indian wear, though Be You will be doing well commercially.