|
Cowl neck moves down to the waist |
|
By: Shwetha Shiware |
|
Date:
2008-10-20 |
|
Place: Cowl neck moves down to the waist |
|
|
 |
| Pics/shadab khan, rajeev tyagi and subhash barolia | With his show slotted for the last day of Delhi Fashion Week, Mumbai designer James Ferreira had enough opportunity to drop in for fellow designers' shows. And he admitted to feeling "threatened". "These young designers are so talented," confessed the veteran, who began his career working with export firms but gave it all up since mass production crippled his growth. After designing for Bollywood stars, James took to being a fashion designer.
The inspiration: It came to him when James found himself lost in a time warp while reading Salman Rushdie's novel The Enchantress of Florence. Fleeting between two continents the Mughal Empire and Renaissance Florence, James' kohl-eyed princesses walked the ramp wearing organza turbans, their faces adorned with Baroque tattoos.
The range: The endless possibilities of the period were projected using drapes, styled to follow the movement of a woman's contours, while threadwork, tie and dye, and cutwork kept the collection grounded to the theme.
Cowl necks found themselves a new address; perched on the waist! Handkerchief drawstring pants, asymmetrical hemmed dresses and detailing like upturned collars, rocked the audience between realism and fantasy.
We remembered HermÃÂés, Anuj Sharma: If Parisian luxury brand HermÃÂés' head designer Jean Paul Gaultier can do it, James can do it too. He presented his own novel interpretation of the saree. A few pieces in black satin drape highlighted with pop coloured piping were startlingly similar to Anuj Sharma's 110x180 2007 collection.
The show ended on a fantastical note, which we know James would love to come alive; two female models walked down the ramp-isle like a couple.
James Ferreira
At: 3 pm, Delhi fashion week, emporio
 |
| Rahul Khanna-Rohit Gandhi's show | Rohit Gandhi slaps Gaurav
What's a fashion week without spice? But the last day of Delhi Fashion Week, Emporio, got ugly with a spat between Delhi designers Gaurav Gupta and Rohit Gandhi at Rajesh Pratap Singh's after-show party.
Friday saw Delhi celebrate Karva Chauth, with the last two shows cancelled because everyone was in a hurry to head home. Gaurav Gupta had his show scheduled for 5 pm at Emporio, while Rohit Gandhi and Rahul Khanna's was meant to roll at Pragati Maidan at 6 pm. "Gaurav had promised to start on time so that guests would have enough time to travel to my venue. I got news that the models were ready backstage, but Sumeet (Nair) and Gaurav delayed the show intentionally, by over an hour. He sent me apologetic text messages later, like that was going to make things better," Rohit said.
When Gaurav arrived at Pratap's party on Saturday night, Rohit says he was grinning guiltily. "I slapped him. He deserved it."
Gaurav's defence: I did tell Rohit I'd start on time, but the show prior to mine was delayed. It was a situational delay blown out of proportion. At the party, he walked up to me and slapped me twice. The language he used was unacceptable. He pushed me out of the party! His behaviour was uncouth. I didn't want to stoop to his level. If your clothes are good, media and buyers will cover your show. I am in shock.
 Priya's mul maxis for desi summer
Fashion is a never ending cycle of possibilities; starting with how you give a garment that wearable quality without hurting your creative vein. Some designers take longer to reach the impossible alchemy, while other like Priyadarshini Rao, somehow find their way.
Fabric: Keeping a tight focus on clothes, she presented a smartly conceived line with India-friendly mul reincarnated in sensual shapes and textures just the fabric for Indian summer.
The range: Tunics and maxis plummeted as effortlessly down the body as the easy-on-the-eye ecru that was offset by contrasting piping and neon green pockets.
Restrained indulgence being the key word, churidar pants in mul and lycra were a mainstay, paired with styles that oscillated between desi Anarkali kurtas, kurtis and bohemian maxis with paisley and geometric prints.
In comparison, the small line-up of "safe" shirts and skinny trousers for men, didn't do much to appease the senses. But it might just work for the not-yet-experimental desi man.
Priyadarshini Rao
At: 5 pm, Delhi fashion week, emporio
Is FDCI tieing up with lakme again?
Lakme's Anil Chopra doesn't believe in commenting "off the record", and when he decides to talk, there's no stopping him. So, when we called to enquire about the rumours that India's premier fashion body, the Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI) was sending Lakme signals for a tie-up, since current sponsor Wills' contract was coming to an end, he said, "FDCI and Lakme parted not because of a difference of opinion or animosity, but due to financial reasons."
When FDCI gave its contract to event managers Percept, the latter promised huge monetary returns from the sponsor, and hiked contract fees, he explains, "When Lakme didn't agree, they spread rumours about how we couldn't afford to pay! Now, Percept is not with them, while we are running our own successful fashion week in Mumbai," he explained.
On a recent visit to Delhi to attend a fashion award function, Anil couldn't believe how many designers, from both, India Fashion Week and Delhi Fashion Week (Delhi now has two fashion weeks of its own), approached him with the Utopian idea of coming together to organise one, united fashion week. "Every big designer has done a finalÃÂé for Lakme, so, we as a brand, share a relationship with them that's more than just professional."
Though neither of the organisers has approached Anil directly, he says he is open to dialogue.
 Spiritual line minus stereotype
Recently, Hermes experimented with the saree drape. Ralph Lauren lightly skimmed the legs in dhoti pants. Lanvin fearless employed vibrant hues associated with India. With design borders smashed, where is an Indian designer supposed to look for inspiration? What startling variation can they bring to a garment, so that the world takes note?
Putting tools of purity and calm to work, Rajesh Pratap Singh quietly sought silence in the chaos of ifs and buts, by erasing the seams between ornamentation and functionality. The modern sage embarked on a sacred exploration, with construction and stitching details as his chosen companions.
The quicksand jazz of loud, in-your-face garments has never lured Pratap. With recession being the new global preoccupation, the simplicity of construction associated with his sense of design was further trimmed, making the designer pause to think, "Will the audience comprehend?"
Easy never does it for Pratap. Even a one-dimensional theme like spirituality, was turned into an inviting mystery with a sheer curtain slicing the ramp into half, and the show area bathed in the aroma of dhoop.
The range: To attain a balance between sheerness and opacity, Pratap worked with cotton and organza to display a contrast. Bright corals, rose pink, bright orange, ecru, peach, grey, navy blue, and ethereal whites were intentionally included to maintain a decorum of clean lines while stitching detail, alternating asymmetrical panels, pleats and inserted seams added a new dimension to the line.
Accessories: Pratap designed his own accessories, including sheer chunky jewellery underlining the tonal contrasts, and shoes in acrylic.
That he didn't resort to using the staid Om motif or rudraksha beads, says volumes about the designer who gave his collection a spiritual slant of deserved sanctity, that could have been easily butchered by stereotypes.
Rajesh Pratap Singh
At: 9 pm, wills lifestyle india fashion week
|
|
|
|
