August 17, 2011: The
opening show featured the amazing talents of the eight Gen Next
designers at the Lakmé Fashion Week Winter/Festive 2011 season. From
stylish unconventional men’s wear to grungy women’s ensembles and then
onto extreme detailing and constructions; the presentation was a visual
delight for the packed audience.
FARAH SANJANA
She is starry eyed and creative having worked with Ralph Lauren and Vivienne Westwood, so Farah Sanjana’s collection called “Collars Galore”
had an emphasis on this segment of the garment with blends of origami,
metal work and architectural shapes. Influenced by the decades, the
collars and garments presented a great creative story with a delightful
fashionable twist. Going for the layered look, the white
multiple collar jacket with the rubber box pleats trouser, the waistcoat
with cascading collars, the rubber collar pearl drop jumpsuit and the
brown and white organza multiple collar shirt were creative pieces of
designing. Collars emerged from the neck, shoulders and often down the
front of the garments. Never has this part of the garment been given
such centre stage importance. A truly mindboggling offering from Farah
Sanjana which will add creative touches to any wardrobe.
MOHAMMED JAVED KHAN
With a label called “Ex-pression-ist”
the collection by Mohammed Javed Khan had to be unconventional. Pushing
the envelope on the design front, Mohammed, a graduate from NIFT had
fine tuned his talents in Paris and Milan. His collection of men’s wear
was aimed at expressing his creativity in the best possible manner with a
touch of style and panache. Entries went into so many layers of
garments but all fell perfectly into place on the ramp. Long sweaters,
kurtas with comfortable loose pants, pullovers, long knit coats, ombre
touches for the garments and quilted jackets along with military shirts
and waistcoats made a great fashionable offering for the male dresser.
Created for the slightly cooler climes of the season, each piece could
be combined or worn solo with great style and comfort. A great look for
men’s wear that will appeal to a global buyer.
SHASHANK RAJA AND PRAJWAL BADWE
They
displayed a collection that presented a perfect blend of the beauty
from the Elizabethan era and Indian royalty. So Shashank Raj and Prajwal
Badwe under their personal label had garments that will please the
modern woman. Opulent Indian embroidery was teamed with contemporary
touches and the result was a fusion of striking apparel. Opening the
show with a high waist detailed trouser and an Elizabethan organza
blouse, the collection moved to reveal an interesting machined bubble
skirt dress, a gorgeous lace shift, extended shoulders for a velvet
appliquéd blouse and a flowing muted beige gown. Shades of orange
highlighted the garments, while the crinoline net dress with lace bodice
and the printed velvet long coat with an asymmetric top were stunning
entries. The eye catching orange plastic cutwork piece was the added
accessory or appeared as a collar in an innovative manner. Very Avant
Garde and stylish for any wardrobe!
SIDDARTH ARYA
“Steam Punk” was the quirky title of Siddharth Arya’s collection under his Label “Sidharth Aryan”.
Inspired by the cult punk movement of the 1980s; his creativity was
bold and daring but at the same time had a pleasant mix of the East and
West. Using art, music, dance, theatre, research, science and
technology; Siddharth brought a touch of perfect synergy into his
garments. It was punk fashion at its best when a garage punk couture
embroidered corset was teamed with an armadillo reptilian shoulders
bolero and rag doll micro mini. Taffeta came alive for a layered skirt
with metal grunge embroidered coat and the leather appliqué dress with
jet sequinned cape and cutout leggings rocked on the ramp. Giving the
ethnic wearer something to think about, Siddharth added a grunge sari
drape with roller blade denims and ended the show with a floor length
tattered mane skirt and Goth black net dress. This collection was truly
daring and dramatic and not for the faint of heart.
TERESA AND ROGER
Across
the seas from Canada came the designer duo, Teresa and Roger with their
collection called “Retarded Velvet”. Giving emphasis to proportions,
the collection had a unisex appeal with a relaxed unstructured touch.
Bringing together the beauty of varied fabrics like Ghanaian batik,
Native American fabrics, South Indian cotton with Tencel and Lyocell;
the garments had vibrant colour contrasts with an almost defiant
fashionable statement while wild prints and easy silhouettes added to
the look of the collection.
Minis with brown suede fringes, wrap blouses, double length Ghanaian print stove pipe pants, dhoti
style knee length silk shorts, the candy coloured batik relaxed fit
jeans with pleated side seams, the textured contrast cigarette pants
with faux leather inner leg insets - the permutations and combinations
in the colours, weaves and textures for men’s and women’s wear were
amazing. The ramp lit up with the profusion of the hues
and the styles which were a welcome change as the ethnicity of the
different fabrics revealed a fabulous design story. For something that
will make the viewers give a second look to the wearers’ choice of
clothes then Teresa and Roger offer the creative looks.
URMI GHOSH
With
her label “UG-Urmi” Urmi Ghosh, presented an unconventional collection
inspired by the tragic love story of Pablo Picasso and his beloved Dora
Maar. The collection called “Maar and Moumoune” (name of a cat) had a
fusion of layers and textures along with varied silhouettes and fabrics
that represented her inspiration. Embroidery played an important role
with cats, boots, tight rope walkers, birds, cages motifs splashed on
the garments. Here was a collection that gave a new meaning to different
designs used in half portions to create a single garment. Dresses,
jumpsuits, tunics, smocks with asymmetric cuts ended abruptly at the
back. Colour blocking, piping, appliqués, cutwork all descended on one
garment, while the full bodied fabrics gave the designs the right cut
and construction required for the collection. The colour palette was
muted with ivory, brown, dusty green, black, beige and brown used as
patchwork to emerge as a perfect complement to the creations. The
striking collection could be the talking point at any occasion.
THINLES CHOSDUP AND NIRAJARA ADHYA
While
Thinles Chosdup hails from Ladakh, Nirajara Adhya comes from Kolkata
and the pair’s label and collection was called “Koslak” which means
clothes in Ladakhi. The duo presented a line inspired by the beautiful
fabrics and traditional costumes of Ladakh and the silhouettes that are
typical of the country. The garments had the colourful touches of the
region with a modern twist given to the designs and the result was a
stunning impact on the ramp. The men’s wear collection in shades of
grey, steel, off white revealed the easy shapes of the Ladakhi garments
but with a marked western touch. Asymmetric opening waistcoats, patched
pants, skirt front trousers, breeches, patched jackets, cable stitch
long wool waist coats – the look was pure mix and match. Grey jumpsuits
with steel rivets and drop crotch pants had a marked rustic look that
could appeal to the international markets. The interesting additions
were the 3D shoulder pads that revealed a strong military look. Easy
comfortable men’s wear with a rustic twist for the modern adventurous
male.
NIKHIL THAMPI
With
his persona label, Nikhil Thampi showed a collection that had all the
right sparks of fashion for the Winter/Festive 2011 season. The mélange
of deconstructed silhouettes that were eminently eye catching revealed
that Nikhil had used shades of black, blue and beige for garments that
ranged from saris to jumpsuits. Presenting a line of men’s and women’s
wear the show had loose drapes for both sexes. The white long backless
draped gown, the layered ombre net white/grey top and skirt the ombre
sari in grey, black and white kept in place with a double leather belt
were show stealers for the women. For the men it was long draped shirts
and button less waist coats or single button jackets followed by long
brown wool tunic. The highlights of the collection was the buckled
leather straps that appeared to fasten cholis, at the back of tunics,
jackets or as an embellishment. A very creatively designed collection
which will make a startlingly dramatic entry anywhere globally.
Sumitra Puri
