Gaurang Shah for Lakmé Fashion Week Winter/Festive 2014

Gaurang Shah with Taapsee Pannu

Blending folklore and fables of 16th century temple art with 21st century forms, Gaurang Shah’s ‘Chitr-Sena’ collection was poetry in motion at the fashion week. The show opened to the melodious voice of Shubha Mudgal who sang the theme song of ‘Chitr-Sena’ as models gracefully glided down the ramp.

Gaurang Shah

For contemporary fashion lovers, Gaurang’s collection had irresistible heritage, and artistry. The kalidaars, kurtas, lehengas, dhotis and sherwanis were glamour personified, while the silhouettes revealed to the audience that the inspirations were from Afghani history but tailored with Indian fabrics.

Gaurang Shah

The wide range of motifs started with Garuda, Rudraksh, Hamsa, Shikarga, Sher, Bhagha, Haathi, Morni and Shikari to create a mélange of flora and fauna. Embellishments were restricted to zardosi and badla to add glitter to the garments.

Gaurang Shah

The rich weaves of the fabrics and saris projected tradition for the modern dresser. Bringing in a hint of variety, there were embroidered cigarette pants, slim kurtas with animal embroidery, a graceful purple maxi, tiered empire line angarkha and a pink asymmetric floor skimming creation.

Gaurang Shah

The four men’s wear entries were restrained to dhotis, kurta with embroidered sleeves, angarkha and sherwani—all draped with ornate dupattas. Taapsee Pannu was the showstopper for the designer; she looked beautiful in an orange/yellow sari with lush border.

Krishna Mehta for Lakmé Fashion Week Winter/Festive 2014

Krishna Mehta’s love affair with the textiles of India has been an ongoing process for decades. The designer has presented the most fabulous collections season after season working with various Indian state handlooms. For Lakmé Fashion Week Winter/Festive 2014 Krishna once again brought to centre stage the glory and beauty of Indian handlooms from Benaras, Maheshwar, Bhagalpur and Manipur.

Krishna Mehta

Mixing flattering happy colours with easy comfortable silhouettes, Krishna’s woven textiles were a visual delight on the runway. Going for ample surface texturing, Krishna added her exclusive unique touches to the collection to unveil a festive couture look.

Krishna Mehta

Dividing the collection in four distinct colour stories – indigo, orange, white and shocking hot pink, the soft silhouettes were the basis of the various mix of prints and the tonal embroidery.While the kurtas, tunics, sheer covers were cut away from the body to allow for ease and comfort, the tiny shrugs almost embraced the curves of the models. An occasional pair of churidar was overpowered by the constant wide palazzos, pyjamas and flared pants, in assorted prints that signaled relaxed attire.

Krishna Mehta

Angarkha style gowns, bias cut kurtas, or slim ones, mul covers with extended sleeves and lacy flared pants were perfect for lounging or just making a fashionable impression. Saris came with kedia style blouses to add a rustic touch to the collection. Shimmer came in the form of a column maxi, fuchsia embroidered blouse and a multicoloured embellished swirling lehenga, which was the only entry that slightly moved away from the colour quartet.

Krishna Mehta

Men’s wear had an assorted line of engineered printed shirts, sherwanis, and Jodhpuri jackets— all worn with wide pyjamas. For timeless couture, which pays homage to India’s rich textile heritage, Krishna Mehta’s relaxed laid back collection was the perfect offering for a variety of occasions.

Luxurious Fabrics at Lakmé Fashion Week Winter/Festive 2014

Pramita Pandey

‘Midway Gardens’ by Pratima Pandey- Putting an emphasis on Eco-friendly fashion that highlights craftsmanship and sustainability; Pratima Pandey’s label ‘Prama’, presented ‘Midway Gardens’ at Lakmé Fashion Week Winter/Festive 2014.

Pramita Pandey

Giving importance to only natural fabrics, the collection was inspired by the life of the 1920’s, which was an era of women empowerment and emancipation. Working with beautiful silk chanderi and cotton Madras checks for basic simple layered silhouettes, the ensembles were splashed with floral embroidery. The sheer over solid theme worked really well for the elegant feminine collection that will appeal to the classic dresser.

Pramita Pandey

Once again Pratima worked with ecru chanderi for over-shirts, which were part of every entry. But this time there were variations, featuring beautiful delicate floral and rose embroidery that cascaded down the front or sides of the tunics. The designer used crinkling as a prominent treatment for solid cotton and checks. Shades of blue, amethyst, green and red were for the kurtas, flared dresses and trousers, while churi sleeves gave a stylish angle to the garments. An interesting innovation was the palm tie-up that held the sleeves firmly in place. Other options included turn-ups for short sleeves and dolman cuts; while the jumpsuits were often teamed with checked jackets.

Shruti Sancheti

‘Strands of Silk’ by Shruti Sancheti– Celebrating the festive season, Shruti Sancheti’s label ‘Pinnacle’, presented the vibrant collection ‘Strands of Silk’ at Lakmé Fashion Week Winter/Festive 2014.

Shruti Sancheti

Silk, the most favoured fabric was woven exclusively by Shruti in Benaras with zari as well as pochampalli, an intricate weave. In addition, the designer had raw and cotton silk along with makhmaal to highlight the beauty of the garments. Rich opulent hand embroidery like zardosi, cutwork, resham and kasab gave dramatic touches to the creations.

Shruti Sancheti

The shade card was filled with warm hues ranging from crimson, vermillion, cherry, wine, burnt orange, to saffron, Alphonso, fuchsia and indigo blue. Giving a wide choice of silhouettes, Shruti had voluminous sharara jumpsuits, pleated anarkalis, palazzos, cropped choga jackets and elegant blouses. The show opened with a wrap skirt followed by a long shirt-kurta with cigarette pants, asymmetrical pleated smock and a maxi with checked bodice. Pleated pants and tailcoat blouse, shift with checked yoke, asymmetrical layered tunic, striking sari with long sleeved trench coat and the black/gold sheath with side cut-outs added to the drama of the collection. Shruti ended the show with a black gown having a woven inset, red pleated long skirt with brocade bodice, a dazzling angarkha and gold lehenga.

Sreejith Jeevan

‘Strung Together’ by Sreejith Jeevan- Sreejith Jeevan under his label ‘Rouka’ showcased a traditional collection called ‘Strung Together’ inspired by the beauty of hand-strung Indian garlands at the Jabong Stage during Lakmé Fashion Week Winter/Festive 2014.

Sreejith Jeevan

The range comprised of western silhouettes like dresses, skirts, crop tops, pants, tunics, jackets, and kurtis in rich fabrics such as pure silks, handmade cottons and linens. Bright, bold hues of red, amber, emerald and white gave the pieces a fun, quirky vibe, while darker tones of wood and classic black added a sophisticated edge.

Sreejith Jeevan

Keeping embellishments to a minimal, the designer used illustrative embroidery in geometric shapes along with gathers at the arms so as to envelope and contour each piece. The outfits were simple with intriguing necklines, which ranged from cowl necks to garland-like floral embroidery work. Floral frills balanced out the careful construction of the range and added a feminine appeal.