WIFW S/S 2013: Day 1 Recap

WIFW S/S 2013: Day 1 Recap

Atsu Sekhose
With crisp whites and vivid prints, Atsu’s collection had immensely wearable separates.

WIFW SS13 Atsu

WIFW SS13 Atsu

Geisha Designs
The “Edwardian” theme was a tad confusing- the mini capsules ended up being a mixed bag of looks. Though there some gorgeous rich pieces in gold, the theatricality of some gowns tended to be jarring.

WIFW SS13 Geisha Designs

WIFW SS13 Geisha Designs

Anand Kabra
Lime green with gold is a wonderful summer combination, and the mosaic prints would look great on skirts, pants and kurtas. The Indian wear is ot too festive, but can be a good summer wear for elegant ladies who wear saris casually.

WIFW SS13 Anand Kabra

WIFW SS13 Anand Kabra

Kiran Uttam Ghosh
Playing with sheer and opaque is not new, but Kiran Uttam Ghosh’s approach to this “trend” is fresh. She used asymmetricality, neat embellishments, layering and multi-cultural influences to create wearable artful garments (plenty of geometric shapes). I spotted a couple of outfits I’d like to own!

WIFW SS13 Kiran Uttam Ghosh

WIFW SS13 Kiran Uttam Ghosh

Payal Pratap
Payal Pratap’s collection has the usual Indo fusion elements, though it makes up for the theme with the detailing- like cross stitch and minute geometric embroidery. The gypsy gilets are quirky wardrobe updates!

WIFW SS13 Payal Pratap

WIFW SS13 Payal Pratap

Surily
Aztec prints have been on the international ramps since the past few seasons, so Surily’s Aztec and geometric patterns did not seem edgy or fresh though they are quite wearable. Fringes and flirty elements are part of the Surily brand, along with the pop colour palette (fluorescent yellows, tangerine and pinks).

WIFW SS13 Surily

WIFW SS13 Surily

Wendell Rodricks
I got a feeling of deja vu on seeing Wendell Rodricks’ SS13 collection. Despite the repetitive moments, there were several pieces that made the collection worth a peek- especially from the Malacca-inspired part of the collection. The lungis, long tunics, colours and texture mix (linen + sequins + satin silk) make for very cool summer pieces.

WIFW SS13 Wendell Rodricks

WIFW SS13 Wendell Rodricks

Dutch Fashion Here & Now India
The show was a cross-culture, cross-country fashion collaboration between Indian and Dutch fashion designers (Suneet Varma with couturier Jan Taminiau and Rohit Gandhi & Rahul Khanna of CUE with *DIED* ), along with several fashion and cultural reps from the two countries (for makeup, music, photography) The show was theatrical, dramatic and almost couture-like.   I especially loved the “darkness” of *DIED* (by iederik Verbakel and Marieke Holthuis).

WIFW SS13 Dutch Fashion

WIFW SS13 Dutch fashion

Accessories of the day
Jalli bangles at Payal Pratap, hair accessories at Geisha Designs, block heels at Anand Kabra (AKA Bespoke for Anand Kabra).

WIFW SS13 Payal Pratap

WIFW SS13 Geisha Designs

WIFW SS13 Anand Kabra

WTFashion Outfit of the Day:
Geisha Designs– lace strands hang down from certain body parts- not sure if this is a curtain, lamp shade or an outfit. Let’s call it the Mystery of the Hanging Lace?

WIFW SS13 Geisha Designs

LFW W/F 2012: What I’m excited about this fashion week

LFW W/F 2012: What I’m excited about this fashion week

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

Swapnil Shinde LFW SR 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

Nimish Shah 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

The Lakme Grand Finale Designers with Purnima Lamba, Head Innovations, Lakme - Kallol Datta(L) and Pankaj-Nidhi - Copy

What are you excited about this season of Lakme Fashion Week?

LFW W/F 2011 Day 4: Wendell Rodricks brings pristine to the ramp

Ethereal. Sensual. Organic. Three words to describe Goan designer Wendell Rodricks’ collection at Lakme Fashion Week Winter/Festive 2011. Designed with Himalayan mineral water in mind, Wendell played with soft pastels and splashes of fuchsia in natural fabrics like natural dyed cotton linen and pure silk.

The collection was divided into four segments, each with a distinct approach. The first segment, Naturally Yours, had linen as the base with natural flowers and bark, in colours like pristine white, yellow and wood.

Model at Wendell Rodricks LFW W/F 2011

Model at Wendell Rodricks LFW W/F 2011 Model at Wendell Rodricks LFW W/F 2011

The second, “Indian Water”, would have been great as evening wear. Silk was used in tunic dresses, pin tucked and layered kurtas; and sunray pleats for tunics.

In Mountain Brooks with Sparkling Water, Wendell used ripple pleated fabric to achieve sparkling water detailing in gowns, ponchos, and a pre-stitched sari. The final segment (Raani Pink Carpet Glam) was dedicated to glamourous evening wear like katftans and sari gowns with hints of shimmer and sparkle on the waist, straps and back.

Model at Wendell Rodricks LFW W/F 2011 Model at Wendell Rodricks LFW W/F 2011

While there were minimal accessories, we loved the specially-made footwear and the odd statement necklace and cuff, some made of nature-inspired materials.

Model at Wendell Rodricks LFW W/F 2011

What do you think of Wendell Rodricks’ purity-inspired collection?

LFW W/F 2011: 5 reasons it will be chic, fashionable and fun!

Some amazing designers: Rina Dhaka, JJ Valaya, Wendell Rodricks, Narendra Kumar Ahmed weren’t at the previous season of Lakme Fashion Week, so we’re hugely excited to see their winter/festive collections. And oh, there will be 87 designers in all at LFW W/F 2011!

Manish Malhotra’s finale show: The LFW folks leave no stone unturned in making their grand finales memorable shows, even though they start at least an hour late every season. This year Manish Malhotra will be the finale designer and Kareena Kapoor will walk the ramp. Manish’s collection will interpret Lakme’s upcoming makeup range Lakme Absolute.

Below: From Manish Malhotra’s LFW S/R 2011 collection.

Manish Malhotra at LFW S/R 2011 Manish Malhotra at LFW S/R 2011

More chances to browse designer collections: The Source, the space where LFW designers exhibit their collections, will get bigger this season. Besides more designers, some will get the opportunity to have a preview of sorts during a specified time during LFW. The best thing is—anyone can visit The Source, you don’t need passes!

Bryanboy is here! Some of us lucky folks covering LFW might just bump into one of the most popular fashion bloggers in the world. Or as NYTimes says, “Internationally-loved fashion superblogger.” If you haven’t read Bryanboy’s blog yet, read it now!

Buy top designers’ clothes off the ramp: After hosting sale events for GenNext designers last season, Fashionandyou.com will also host established designer collections through ‘LFW and Fashion & You exclusive collection’, ‘Hot of the Runway’ and ‘Bridal Festive Luxury’ lines. Keep your credit cards ready.

PS—If you don’t have much-coveted passes to your favourite designer’s show, you can catch LFW live online at LFWTV.in.

Chic OMG Ad: Wendell Rodricks designs ‘hole new fashion’ for Nestle’s Polo

Here’s a fashion collaboration update I never thought I’d hear: ace designer designs mint flavours! Yup, Goa-based designer Wendell Rodricks has designed a signature series for Nestle’s Polo (the famous mint with the hole).

Bizarre as it sounds, it seems the collaboration is for real. And while this may be highly unusual, the new Polo Wendell Rodricks flavours might just give those bored with mints a new sweet to munch on.

In the just-released TV ad, Wendell Rodricks is seen sketching dresses as models play around with fabrics with holes in them. The models then sashay down a ramp in a playful mood, and you see all the dresses have a Polo-inspired hole in them, such as on the shoulder straps and near the stomach.

Turns out Wendell Rodricks has created a signature series of Polo mints, creating some playful (and yum-sounding) flavours—Lime Mojito, Cocoa Mocha, Peach Schnapps and Watermelon Sorbet. We’re not sure to what extent Wendell Rodricks had a say in the taste of the new Polo range, but we want to try it.

Here’s the Polo ad, starring Wendell Rodricks himself:

What do you think of the ad? Have you tried Wendell Rodricks’ Polo signature flavours yet?

Chic guide: Fashionable (and affordable) things to do this week

Category: Fashion

Budget: Up to Rs 10,000

What to do: Shop designers for less

Styles for Less @ Ensemble - 1 - Copy

Designer steals aren’t restricted to online sales sites that deliver dresses by the time they’re out of season. Ensemble’s Styles for Less promotion is a great way to grab top Indian fashion designers like Rajesh Pratap, Wendell Rodricks, Tarun Tahiliani, Cue By Rahul and Rohit Gandhi, Savio Jon, Pankaj & Nidhi, Gaurav Gupta and Prashant Verma for Rs 10,000 or less! The range of designs will be a fashion lover’s delight: from casual tops to dressy numbers. Our cards are ready to be swiped.

Styles for Less is on till June 17, 2011 at Ensemble—Kemps Corner, Mumbai.

Category: Accessories

Budget: Up to Rs 5000

What to do: Go for blue

Oxidised silver jewellery will always be a great option to go with traditional wear, so bring a dash of turquoise to your jewellery box (we like this little set from Amrapali—below left). And while you’re at it, don’t ignore blues for casual wear (necklace from Toniq)!

  Paradise Rs 469 (2000 x 2667)

Category: Beauty/ Makeup

Budget: Up to Rs 1000

What to do: Update your eye makeup for monsoon

The drops of joy every monsoon can be a nightmare for us girls who love our makeup. So stock up on Lakmé’s newest eye makeup products from its popular Nine to Five range. The Forever Silk Eyeliner and Kohl Ultimate are long-lasting, smudge-proof and water-resistant. The Forever Silk Eyeliner comes in seven metallic shades while the Kohl Ultimate is a kohl, smudger and sharpener all in one stick.

FOREVER SILK EYELINER-Blue Cosmos

Kohl Ultimate

Forever Silk Eyeliner is priced at Rs 395; Kohl Ultimate is for Rs 650.

What chic things are you planning to do this week?

WLIFW: Wendell Rodricks revives the Kunbi sari

If you haven’t heard of the Kunbi sari before this, you’re not the only one. While people know the Banarasi, Paithani, Kanjeevaram and the Kasavu sari, not many are aware of Goa’s Kunbi sari. Designer Wendell Rodricks, however, is keen to bring Goa’s traditional sari into every fashionista’s wardrobe, with his Spring/ Summer 2011 collection shown at Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week recently.

Wendell blended cotton and silk fabrics to create saris, tunics and tube dresses in ivory, sand washed greys and subtle greens (using organic dyes of iron ore, conjee, indigo blue, pomegranate and leaf dyes).

I think the Kunbi sari can make a simple, yet powerful style statement at work, a family gathering, or a bharatnatyam programme.

Take a look at the Kunbi sari and tell us what you think. Also note how Wendell has used the same fabric to create an ideal summer dress.

Kunbi sari at Wendell Rodricks WLIFW Subtle green dress at Wendell Rodricks WLIFW

What do you think of the Kunbi sari? Tell us!