Shantanu-Nikhil

Aamby Valley India Bridal Fashion Week Delhi 2013 drew to an end last week, so here’s a quick look at some “trends” I observed from the various shows.

Brides want to try new styles…
A whole new set of designers are experimenting with bridal wear and creating radically new looks for the modern Indian bride. While Falguni & Shane Peacock did a goth bride, Shantanu-Nikhil used sharp silhouettes and unusual neckline shapes for their bridal outfits. (Below: Neha Dhupia for Falguni & Shane Peacock, Shantanu-Nikhil)

… While some designers look at the past
Mughal, Renaissance and Kotwara influences- the days of yore fascinate designers, brides and fashion-loving Indians in equal measure. (Below: Meera Muzaffar Ali, Ashima-Leena)

Hot colours for brides are oranges and nudes
Jewel tones like rich purple, bright blue and peacock green have almost disappeared from most designers’ colour palette, in favour of orange, coral and peach shades, with nude, ivory and beige. Must say that some shades of orange I saw on the ramp were delicious. 😉 (Below: Ashima-Leena; Tarun Tahiliani)

Gold is still the black of Indian bridal wear
Embellishments are golden… ’nuff said. Us Indians will always be obsessed with the yellow metal. (Below: Sonam Kapoor for Rohit Bal; Suneet Varma)

Fashion weeks will never be short of WTFashion moments
From Rina Dhaka’s overtly kitsch collection to some sort of headbands at Adarsh Gill, ramp shows will always have some seriously WTFashion styles. (Below: Adarsh Gill, Rina Dhaka)

What did you think of the collections at Aamby Valley India Bridal Fashion Week?

In 2013, Fashion

India Bridal Fashion Week: 5 outfits I want to wear to my wedding

Speaking ChicAugust 5, 2013August 5, 2013Leave a comment

My big day is barely four months away, and India Bridal Fashion Week Delhi 2013 came along at the right time. Looking at all the pictures from the week gave me a good idea of outfits I could try, some embellishment options I could explore, or hot colours for brides over the next few months.

Here’s my pick of the outfits I’d choose to wear for my wedding (and the related ceremonies). My top choices range from lehengas for the wedding ceremony to gowns for the sangeet. Which outfit is your favourite from these?

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 2012, Fashion

PCJ Delhi Couture Week 2012 begins today

Speaking ChicAugust 8, 2012August 8, 2012Leave a comment

Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI)’s PCJ Delhi Couture Week 2012 kicks off this evening in New Delhi with Varun Bahl’s show.

FDCI has unveiled a creative look for the event- one image for each day. Each of these five images highlights tools that help create couture garments- from the mannequin torso to the humble iron. These intricate designs remind me of Indian royalty, and are the result of several brain storming sessions with the FDCI creative committee (David Abraham, Rajesh Pratap Singh, Rohit Bal and Suneet Varma) and the graphic design company– Bombay Design House.

I think it’s a brilliant concept- my favourite images from the series are that of the sewing machine (Day 4 Green) and the clothes hanger (Day 2 Purple).

Meanwhile, I’ve got a wishlist of the shows I’d like to watch:

J J Valaya
Varun Bahl
Anamika Khanna
Manish Arora
Shantanu & Nikhil
Manav Gangwani
Sabyasachi

Yup, fashion at PCJ Delhi Couture Week promises to be stunning!

PCJ Delhi Couture Week is a “By Invitation Only” event by Fashion Design Council of India, held in New Delhi from August 8 to 12, 2012.

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.

In 2011, Fashion, trends, WIFW AW 2011

WIFW A/W 2011: Important fashion lessons from Day 3

Speaking ChicApril 10, 2011Leave a comment

Fashion Lesson 1: Black will always be the new black

Fashion designers declared black as the colour for Autumn/Winter 2011, proving that black will always be in fashion. We spotted black at Sanskar by Sonam Dubal, Namrata Joshipura and Mrinalini.

Below: Sanskar by Sonam Dubal, Namrata Joshipura and Mrinalini.

Fashion Lesson 2: Designers are loving geometric shapes!

Rohit Gandhi and Rahul Khanna turned linear geometry on its head, creating vertical, horizontal and diagonal lines with crosshatching patches on grey felts, mixing see-through fabrics with opaque, and use of superimposed patterns. Mrinalini’s collection drew inspiration from origami, crafting garments in straight lines, checks, circles and patterns. She managed to give her clothes a paper-like feel. Meanwhile, Raj Shroff used cutwork jackets to layer for winter. All these designers showed us geometry in fashion is tres chic and wearable!

Below: Mrinalini, Rohit Gandhi-Rahul Khanna

Fashion Lesson 3: Head gear is ruling the ramps across India

We spotted plenty of head gear last month on Day 2 of Lakme Fashion Week Summer/Resort 2011. And on the third day of WIFW A/W 2011, we spotted fun head gear and accessories at Divyam Mehta, James Ferreira and Prama by Pratima Pandey. Now we’re only awaiting the highstreet versions and roadside bargains. 😉

Below: Divyam Mehta, Prama by Pratima Pandey.

Fashion Lesson 4: Stockings will be fun this winter

Stockings and tights made a comeback recently, and it’s nice to know they will be around for a while. From plain boring leggings and stockings, we’ve moved on to printed ones, and now designers are keeping them for next season. So they’re in bright colours at James Ferreira and Small Shop by Jason Anshu, shaded at S&N Drape by Shantanu & Nikhil, and bejewelled socks at Namrata Joshipura. They’re on our winter must-have list already!

Below: Small Shop by Jason Anshu, S&N Drape by Shantanu & Nikhil, Namrata Joshipura.

Fashion Lesson 5: We’re ready for new silhouettes

At Small Shop by Jason-Anshu, the silhouettes were geometrical, making boxy shapes, yet draped in a feminine manner. The designer duo played with colour mixing and draping to create multi-layering effects. And at Raj Shroff’s aptly-named Mystic Contours, shapes were best-defined as anti-silhouette, not following contoured lines and other physical attributes, yet striking a balance between extremes. Textures involving tipping and patchwork and slits were seen in twisted forms.

Below: Small Shop by Jason-Anshu, Raj Shroff

Fashion Lesson 6: Fashion designers do try hard

Both Manish Malhotra and S&N Drape by Shantanu & Nikhil showcased their collections at LFW S/R 2011. And while both designers stuck to similar concepts from last month’s shows, they made a marked attempt to present different styles to the audience. Thank god for that!

Below: Manish Malhotra, S&N Drape by Shantanu & Nikhil.

In 2011, Fashion, LFW S/R 2011

LFW Summer/Resort 2011: Top 5 things we’re excited about

Speaking ChicMarch 11, 2011Leave a comment

A taste of Japan: Established Japanese designers will showcase their collections at Lakme Fashion Week Summer/Resort 2011. These are Somarta by Tamae Hirokawa, Motonari Ono and Araisara by Sara Arai.
Exciting designer line-up: Some of India’s leading designers (absent last season) will make an appearance. We’re excited about Sabyasachi Mukherjee, Shantanu-Nikhil, Anamika Khanna, Raakesh Agarvwal and Pria Kataria Puri.
Accessories galore!: This season at LFW will see a whopping 15 accessory designers on the ramp. We’re looking forward to Suhani Pittie and Rina Shah of Rinaldi, and would love to get a dose of the other designers’ accessories. (Below: Picture from Suhani Pittie’s LFW Winter/Festive 2010 collection)
Watching LFW LIVE!: It’s not possible to go to every show. So in the middle of a working day, fashionistas can just log on to LFWTV.in and get the latest from fashion week!
Great fashion, of course!: Fashion week is about fashion, and that’s what we’re looking forward to. Would love to see some fabulous trends for the summer!

Showing all posts tagged Shantanu-Nikhil

IBFW: Hot colours, new looks, WTFashion moments & more…