Amrit Kaur’s Fascination with Retro

Amrit Kaur’s Collection

Speaking of retro trends of the season…

This season is all about return of the retro in modern style. Swooping bellbottoms, tightly-fit tops, and psychedelic prints—everywhere we look, the 1970s style is back in heavy rotation with touches of contemporary style. For instance, flared pants are given a modern look by teaming it up with crisp white shirts or a crop tops; also, take note of oversized sunglasses, polka-dotted hair accessories, bright floral prints and more.

Tale of fabrics, color palette, prints and silhouettes…

For this summer, I have played with cotton silk, chiffon, chanderi and blend of cotton and raw silk. The fabrics portray a palette of bright colours and prints. With vibrant pop colours such as yellow, orange, green, purple, blue and red taking the center stage, I have played very strategically with bold prints and floral prints to make my garments look more fun and lively. I used floral-roses to cast hints of feminineness, and tropical prints, wild flowers along with long leafs with subtle colors and geometric prints to recall disco elements in crop tops, blouses, sheer capes, mid-cuff skirts, pencil-cut skirts, short dress and pantsuits for woman.

Amrit Kaur’s Collection

What went behind making of your latest collection?

Love of retro and love of summer went behind conceptualizing this collection. Movies like American hustle and TV shows like the 70’s show got me really inspired.

Tell us about your fascination with the good-old 70s fashion…

70’s fashion is a statement to be bold, fun and joy. Pop colors, bold prints, high-waisted flared trousers, symmetry and hints of disco gold on jumpsuits, capes, and dresses often bring out the hippie in you. I am in love with this unpretentious and fearless style statement. Rugged hairdos, statement headgears, Bohemian scarfs, oversized hats and big sunnies always arrest my attention.

Amrit Kaur’s Collection

The muse…

The whole look and energy of 70’s era inspired me; the era reminds me of times that were hassle-free, fun, optimistic and unpretentious in terms of fashion. The pop culture, disco trends and hippies really stood out amidst two oil crisis movements, the end of the Vietnam War and suffering economy. The 70’s were a time of beauty and freedom, when femininity was pushed forward. Bold prints and vibrant colors has always been my favorite but 70’s also give us bold flashy gold look—think of big loops, jewelry and belts.

Future plans?

Right now I am working on my new collection for autumn/winter 2015-16 in which I am taking further my retro theme in winter style making more of coats, jackets and sheer dresses. Rest all is a surprise (she smiles).

Dorothy Perkins presents Spring/Summer 2015

Dorothy Perkins

UK’s most famous high street brand Dorothy Perkins announces the launch of its Spring/Summer 2015 collection, available exclusively on India’s leading fashion destination, Jabong.com. The spring summer collection of Dorothy Perkins embraces the key trends for the coming season with a return to the seventies and Sports Luxe.

Dorothy Perkins

The collection will be available on Jabong.com for its discerning customers from March. Jabong.com believes in bringing the latest and best trends forward for the customers. The latest summer collection from Dorothy Perkins is inspired by the 1970’s.

Dorothy Perkins

The dresses are longer, the skirts are A-lined and the trousers are cropped. Materials are a mixture of textures with knits and crochet, leather and suede – the chocolate brown suede shorts and jacket are key drifts. These rich textures are combined with denim – one of the star fabrics for spring summer.

Dorothy Perkins

Colours are a combination of muted pastel shades with pops of coral and indigo. Soft ruffle detailing and feminine prints, which take inspiration from the orient, create a seventies romantic bohemian look. Oversized peasant blouses are teamed with button front denim skirts and bell bottom jeans, matched with high platforms and felt hats creating a classic seventies silhouette.

Dorothy Perkins

For SS15 culottes are in pink leather and trousers are loose and wide – creating a new elegant shape. A fresh and modern feel updates this season’s Sports Luxe trend. Clean, simple lines create the look for the utility nineties inspired collection. Minimal boxy, cropped jackets in a variety of fabrics and textures – from neoprene to sheer and mesh – mixed with the cigarette trouser creates a sleek look.

Dorothy Perkins

Asymmetric tops and tunics add to the new season silhouette. Colour for this collection is exciting with poster paint shades of blue and green. Colour blocking leads the way – whilst the all-over whites we’ve seen in past seasons have returned. Florals are big and bold and are on full looks – on dresses and across short suits.

The Alchemy of Handloom by ‘MOAVI’ : An ode to India’s heritage weaves

Maovi

Moavi draws its roots from old Indian textiles in an attempt to reinvigorate traditional weaves and give them their much-deserved limelight in today’s world of fashion.​ The brand is working towards re-introducing weaves that are on the verge of extinction—they are incorporating Muga silk, Pat silk, Eri-silk, Tusser silk, Linen, Mercerized-cotton and real Zari, creating pure magic beyond boundaries.

Maovi

To start with, Moavi has introduced clusters from, Assam, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh and they plan to cover all states eventually to create designs, which will procure holistic aesthetics of our traditional and contemporary eccentricities.

Maovi

Having great passion for both fashion and sustainability, Kavita and Anmol ​Badsra, ​each with years of experience in design and consulting, lead Moavi. Moavi wants to be known as an organisation that uses design as a means to address the most important issues of our times by providing sustainability in life of our weavers​ and artisans.

Maovi

Textile industry, despite being the second largest employment generator segment in our country has not been able to provide sustainable livelihood to our highly skilled handloom weavers in almost all states. We believe, the industries of fashion, textile and design offers unique effective opportunities for designers, craftsmen and consumers alike to contribute to the alleviation of poverty by being ethical about one’s fashion choices without sacrificing style.

Maovi

About the Collection: Ekam—Ekam is literally Moavi’s first step towards envisioned future of Indian handloom sector. This collection draws inspiration from Indian mythology, ‘Ramayana’ depicting each khand/stage of the tale in every product through hand-weaving, hand-embroidery or intricate block printing techniques.

Maovi

The color palette brings forth bright Indian hues like, haldi yellow to sindoori red, deep indigo to metal tones of gold and silver, each shade narrating a different story. We have started with hand-woven saris and dupattas and are working towards expanding the collection further to constructed blouses, jackets and kurtas, wherein planned silhouettes are simple yet feminine and perfectly suitable for work-wear, as well as light occasion wear.

Sonaakshi Raaj for Lakmé Fashion Week Winter/Festive 2014

Known as the ‘Sari-gown Specialist’, Sonaakshi Raaj presented her opulent line of Red Carpet creations called ‘Rebel with a Cause’ at the fashion week. The show stopping entry was made by Malaika Arora Khan in a post-box red lacy embroidered gown with a layered luxurious tulle flounce.

Malaika Arora Khan

Her finely crafted couture gowns reflected a luxurious style with some edgy detailing. Selecting colours that will glow in the dark as the wearer glides down the celebrity carpet, Sonaakshi had oxblood red, nude, charcoal and metallics on her fabrics.

Sonaakshi Raaj

Interesting drapes were an experimental move that Sonaakshi loves to undertake. The fluid fabrics added to the charm of the flirty sensuous silhouettes of the garments and detailing was meticulously added to highlight the construction.

Sonaakshi Raaj

Making a dramatic entry was the peach sari-gown with drop-shoulder glittering blouse, followed by a halter gold mesh creation. Jumpsuits in gold had beaded tassels, while the sharply cut, white embroidered one-button jacket worn with side slit pants was ideal cocktail wear.

Sonaakshi Raaj with showstopper Malaika Arora Khan

An interesting innovation was the red pant-cum-sari, the churidar draped sari, beaded body suit teamed with a dhoti-sari, poncho over corset and draped skirt and the textured top with a blue tulip skirt. Embellished boleros added variety to the collection, Jodhpur pants had body-con blouses and the black Grecian sari gown with dazzling gold work was stunning.

Shehla Khan for Lakmé Fashion Week Winter/Festive 2014

Shehla Khan with Showstopper Shruti Hassan

There was romance, glamour and ethereal creations on the ramp when Shehla Khan presented her ‘Nouveau Victorian’ fashion symphony under her label ‘Shehlaa’ at the fashion week. Bollywood actor, Shruti Hasan walked with great style down the ramp, modeling an angelic pink lehenga with a micro choli.

Shehla Khan

Showcasing her concept of new Victorian fashion with inspirations from the Edwardian period, Shehla portrayed the great romance, passion and emotion of that regal era in her creations. Soft delicate hues had strong floral overtones. Lush fabrics like, tulle, silk and lace were splashed with ornate embroidery and adornments.

Shehla Khan

The silhouettes were a stylish mix of lehengas and dresses, which have been Shehla’s forté, while intricate detailing had turned her ensembles into timeless outfits. Opening the show with an amethyst net intricately embroidered mini, the show progressed to an off-shoulder net sequined mini-cum-gown. Soon a variety of sexy blouses in pretty pastels were teamed with long graceful lehengas.

Shehla Khan

A will-power drop-waist gown and another in old rose with a pale pink skirt, a mini with a maxi skirt around it were perfect evening glamour wear. The lattice work bolero and the various gypsy-style blouses with shimmering long skirts were ideal bridal trousseau options. For a wardrobe collection that is a great mix of romance from the Victorian times, mingled cleverly with contemporary touches, Shehla Khan’s line was a stunning offering.

Rixi Bhatia and Jayesh Sachdev of Quirk Box for Lakmé Fashion Week Winter/Festive 2014

Rixi Bhatia and Jayesh Sachdev

For two seasons Rixi Bhatia and Jayesh Sachdev have been creating a fashionable stir with their label ‘Quirk Box’. For this season, the designer duo’s collection called ‘Bombay Balloon’ was a nostalgic inspiration, which recreated the vintage charm of Bollywood cinema and theatre.

Rixi Bhatia and Jayesh Sachdev

Using chanderi, crepe and georgette, the designers brought in colour blocking with delicate textured details. With such a vibrant theme it was but natural that the colour card had to be versatile; so tones of mustard, burnt orange, teal blue, emerald along with metallics like grey, gold and black came in for a fun filled line.

Rixi Bhatia and Jayesh Sachdev

Pen and ink drawings featured the characteristic images of Bombay on all the garments. From the big air balloon to rickshaws, buses, zeppelins, bulbs, boats, the iconic Gateway of India—the print story was a great mix of past memories. The silhouettes ranged from soft swinging blouses and skirts, to patch work dresses, maxis with pleat detailing, lapel waistcoat with a striped blouse, mini smock, cropped tops and double-breasted jacket.

Rixi Bhatia and Jayesh Sachdev

Men’s wear was as colourful and followed the theme religiously with black waistcoat and a suit with all the ink and pen drawings; but this time in white on a black background.

Swati Vijaivargie for Lakmé Fashion Week Winter/Festive 2014

Swati Vijaivargie with Showstopper Neha Dhupia

Inspired by traditional clothing amongst Hmong women and Vietnamese culture, designer Swati  Vijaivargie charmed all with her artistic collection titled ‘Rangraez’ at Jabong Stage during the fashion week.

Swati Vijaivargie

The designer worked with traditional motifs and geometric prints on handmade silks to add a new age, bohemian appeal to her outfits, which comprised of jackets, trousers, tops, blouses, kurtis, coats and tunics. Colours like emerald green, smoke black, burnt tangerine, deep blue and fuchsia added a fun pop artsy tone and were complemented by buttons, hand-cut antique gold sequins and quilting for a sophisticated edge.

Swati Vijaivargie

A stand out feature within the collection was the delicate play of geometry with embroidery for a striking, individualistic style that was both traditional and modern. Showstopper Neha Dhupia dazzled in an orange coat paired with a cropped top, a skirt and cigarette pants, which beautifully displayed the designer’s flair for layers.

Swati Vijaivargie

Aesthetically intriguing and fashionably fantastic, ‘Rangraez’ by Swati Vijaivargie was one collection that will appeal to any woman who knows what she wants and more importantly, how to get it glamorously.

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.

Organic fashion takes centre-stage at Lakmé Fashion Week Winter/Festive 2014

Anavila with Showsopper Konkona Sen Sharma

‘Mohenjo Daro’ by Anavila Sindhu Mishra– Anavila Sindhu Mishra’s collection ‘Mohenjo Daro’ took the spectators back to an era of sheer magnificence at the fashion week. She brought back the various strands of life from a beautiful bygone time. Taking direction from various objects found at the excavation such as the culture, regional artifacts and the art remains, Anavila painted a beautiful visual picture for the collection. She was also inspired by her muse Konkona Sen Sharma, who portrayed this era gracefully.

Anavila

The major highlight of this compilation was the handiwork of treatments done on hand-woven textiles. The fabrics used were linen, cotton and silk, which were dominant at that time. Stitching techniques like extra weft weaving, block printing and ikat gave prominence to the Indus motifs. Over-dyeing and printing had also been used to create an aged, rustic look. Ajrak printing, featured at Mohenjo Daro, was an important aspect of the collection. The becoming creations had gorgeous colours like mehendi green, gold metallic sheens, off white, navy blues and rust reds.

Anavila

Other garments that stood out were the cutout sari with the rust/red blouse and garment detailing, which included line texturing in the form of embroidery and elephant prints along with a tan-belted sari that really brought out the visual appeal of the textile. To add to the ethnicity of the entire collection the accessories were made of beaten metal, terracotta and leather.

Purvi Doshi with Showstopper Sonal Chauhan

‘Chavi’ By Purvi Doshi- Purvi Joshi showcased her creative side at the fashion week by bringing in harmony between two cultures for her collection ‘Chavi’. Inspiration was drawn from the ever-famous African Aztec prints, which are trendy all over the world. Purvi converted these prints to turn them into a desi offering of glamorous fusion wear. This change from international to hometown material was created with brilliant merging of the prints into mirror embroidery with subtlety of Kutch and Gujarat beaming through.

Purvi Doshi

The garments looked melodious in sound hues of saffron, blue, chili red, green and white that effortlessly flowed into the silhouettes. The handwork on the garments was the reflection of a dying art of mirror work by the rural crafts-people who were struggling to keep this tradition afloat.

Purvi Doshi

This collection had maxis, saris paired with short kurtas along with flared blouses, tie and dye skirts as well as long kurtas with flared pants. This collection had variety of detailing like pleats, layering, gather and keyholes. It was colourful and eclectic just like its mirror work. Other enchanting ensembles were the anarkalis that were rich in blue and had colourful edging details. Rajasthani bangles were also a major statement making accessory style that was adopted to complete the collection. Sonal Chauhan was the showstopper for her collection.

Sashikant Naidu and Showstopper Shreya Saran

‘Separe’ by Sashikant Naidu– Sashikant Naidu brought the limelight onto 21st century women with his collection ‘Separe’, which is French for ‘Separates’ at the fashion week. The underlying idea was to create separate pieces that would look divine with already possessed items in every lady’s wardrobe.

Sashikant Naidu

A wide range of dresses, jackets, skirts, scarves, stoles to dupattas, lehengas, saris and blouses was the essence of the collection. The brilliance of a collection such as this would only stand out by using silks, Dupion, fletcher, ikat and khadi along with crepes. The look commenced with light, layered and textured outfits, all made in khadi with embellishments such as handmade accessories and tribal jewellery to bring out the rawness of idea.

Sashikant Naidu

Hues like metallic grey, flower prints, lime green, emerald green and rust reds had exquisite detailing like pom-poms and pleats. Majority of the colours of this compilation were in shades of red, green and blue dawned on silhouettes like body-fitted maxi dress, sleeveless high low cardigan, sequined edged kurtas and asymmetrical handkerchief maxi skirts. Another ensemble that stood out was the midi dress, which was layered with box pleats and had long flared sleeves. A technique of hand painting was used with only eco-friendly paints and was contemporary for the style and silhouettes of the collection. Adding just a hint of shimmer in the embroidery, Sashikant ensured that the artisans incorporated the temples of South India and embodied nature in the designs. Bollywood star Shriya Saran was in a polished emerald green blouse with a red sari along with exaggerated nose jewellery, which was a perfect ending to the radiant collection.

Anju Modi for Lakmé Fashion Week Winter Festive 2014

Anju Modi with Showstopper Jacqueline Fernandes

Anju Modi’s collection was a story of reincarnation called ‘Mahikarnika’ presented by Reliance Jewels that created a fashionable journey through time. With the Ajanta and Ellora paintings and Khajuraho sculptures as her muse for the embellishments; Anju revived the age-old craft and ancient techniques.

Anju Modi

Keeping the colour of the story earthy with sepia tones of sand and old rose, Anju added rich jewel shades of burgundy, ruby and emerald for lush fabrics that ranged from net, velvet, tussar and silk. Intricate resham embroidery for a long sleeve choli teamed with mosaic motifs in white and gold for a lehenga was one of the highlights. Tulle saris were edged in gold with sculpted embroidery. Dhoti pants replaced churidars for floor skimming, swirling, grey, net embroidered kurtas or were worn with sharply cut long sleeve jackets.

Anju Modi

Empire-line kalidaars in shades of gold were layered over paneled skirts, cropped long sleeved jackets with tie-ups, extended sleeve caps for ornate blouses and layered velvet lehengas added to the charm of the bridal wear. Cholis remained constant with long sleeves with asymmetric closures and interesting necklines at times with lapels to add drama to the saris.