Ever since Hyderabad-based designer Gaurang Shah has been showcasing at the Mumbai Fashion Week, he has never failed to impress us with the innate Indian-ness of his designs...
Lakme fashion week, Day 3, LFW Day 3, Lakme Fashion Week Winter/Festive 2014, Gaurang Shah, EKRU, Easton Pearson, Aartivijay Gupta, ILK, GAGA, Tanya Sharma, Fashion
3.30 pm > Gaurang Shah and EKRU
Ever since Hyderabad-based designer Gaurang Shah has been showcasing at the Mumbai Fashion Week, he has never failed to impress us with the innate Indian-ness of his designs and the traditional embroideries and textiles that he uses.
Gaurang Shah’s line spelt tradition. Pics/Satyajit Desai
ADVERTISEMENT
This time too, the designer took the attendees through an art tour with his line, Chitr-sena, which translates into a collection of folklore and fables that lyrically blend the 16th century temple art and the 21st century modern artist.
Gaurang Shah’s line spelt tradition. Pics/Satyajit Desai
This collection looked at reviving the art of Korvai weaving of Kanchipuram. We loved the use of rich hues of the likes of yellow, blue, green, brown, pink and orange, which had festive written all over it. Layering was dominant in the show, like all collections of the designer.
Models made pretty pictures, walking down the ramp showcasing flow-y ghaghras, anarkalis, ghararas and anghrakhas in fabrics like silk and khadi. The use of zardosi was a plus and added an edge to the collection, which saw actress Taapsee Pannu as the showstopper.
Another draw was the music of the show, which was in the guise of a live performance by renowned Hindustani Classical singer, Shubha Mudgal.
The second segment of the show was taken over by EKRU, a label by designers Ekta Jaipuria and Ruchira Kandhari, which was inspired by Indian Royalty. The collection, which focussed on Indian textiles, was rooted in tradition. However, the line failed to bring forth anything that really stood out. Apart from one or two ensembles, the rest fell in the seen-that category and failed to lift the show.
Bop over the top
5.30 pm > Easton Pearson
Models with blonde wigs and eclectic patterns swayed down the ramp for Australian designers Lydia Pearson and Pamela Easton’s collection, BeBop, inspired by the fast temp Bebop Jazz of the 1940s.
Back to bizarre
Creations from Papa Don’t Preach by Shubhika defied logic. Pics/Satyajit Desai
The line that exuded a casual vibe, not just stuck to Western influences, but looked to India for inspiration as well, evident through the ensembles showcasing intricate embroidery mainly created in Kutch.
Our favourite was the beach-y green and white-stripped bustier with a printed knee-length skirt. Another design that caught our eye was an Indianised beadwork bolero teamed up with a long skirt. This apart, the collection offered a range of skirts and dresses with cut work, mirror and hand embroidered detailing.
The Bebop Jazz vibe ruled the Aussie duo’s line. Pic/Pradeep Dhivar
Costume fare
1.30 pm > Aartivijay Gupta, ILK, GAGA by Tanya Sharma
Designer Aartivijay Gupta broke into the fashion scene a couple seasons back with her digital prints and since then, the designer has stuck to bold prints for her collections at LFW. Staying true to her style, Gupta presented, Who Wore When What, a line tracing the history of world costumes.
ILK by Shikha Grover and Vinita Adhikari born accolades for its no-nonsense appeal; (left) Aartivijay Gupta showcased vintage-themed straight-cut dresses. Pics/Pradeep Dhivar
The vintage-inspired collection included straight-cut dresses, buttoned up ensembles and midis among other things, and stuck to a subtle colour palette of beiges and whites. While the line had its positives, especially with a buttoned up short jacket teamed up with a slide slit dress, a sense of fatigue could be felt owing to the excessive use of bold portrait digital prints that we have seen from Gupta’s stable before.
ILK by Shikha Grover and Vinita Adhikari born accolades for its no-nonsense appeal; (left) Aartivijay Gupta showcased vintage-themed straight-cut dresses. Pics/Pradeep Dhivar
On the other hand, ILK, a label by Shikha Grover and Vinita Adhikari presented a fuss-free collection with a theme of how the world would be a better place if people would only stick to a simple gesture of holding hands. All garments bore the sign of stick figures holding hands, which was translated differently on different clothes.
Look who came by!
Ramp favourite Diandra Soares came by for a dekko. Pic/Pradeep Dhivar
With a colour palette ranging from cream to indigo, the line was simple-yet-tasteful. The slider sandals with a buttoned-up cream half-sleeve kurta paired with ankle-length linen pants made a mark.
As far as GAGA is concerned, the line didn’t do much for us. An amalgamation of Indian fabrics and dyeing techniques was bright, but lacked the punch.
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
