Summer breeze
Elegant and feminine, the naturally dyed, hand-woven formal wear titled A Summer in Style, by Jayanti Reddy, was presented on the last day of the Lakme Fashion Week that was held in Mumbai recently. The designer included intricate hand embroidery on the ensembles. Flared poncho tops were teamed with dhoti pants, while angular lace tunics looked celestial on white, flared, and long skirts. Victorian ruffles were a prominent inspiration throughout the designer’s collection. Micro shorts under long flowing covers or a draped lehenga with a knee-length kurta, also made an appearance.
“Light and summery, the collection is inspired by a calm and composed woman with a feminine spirit. I’ve used light fabrics with a lot of chanderis and cotton. I did tulip pants with ponchos and capes, lehengas with off-shoulder tops and saris with ruffles. Ruffles and tassels is something I added for a dramatic effect,” says Reddy.
Showstopper Disha Patani wore an embroidered ink blue lehenga and choli with cream polka dot, gotta patti and dupatta adorned with oversized tassels. “Jayanti has uniqueness to her collection and it’s very comfortable. Lehengas are usually heavy, but this is so light in weight that I can dance wearing it,” said Disha.
Heritage weaves
On Day five, ace textile-expert Gaurang Shah created a vision of ethereal beauty on the runway with his collection Muslin. The show opened with a Shayari by Iqbal Pattani. Shah’s latest collection comprised of over 40 ensembles in white, with gold and silver weaves. This is a departure from his previous collections where the designer generously used bright colours like bright fuchsia, reds and greens.
Tabu was the showstopper for Gaurang Shah
Playing with white tones on sheer flowing fabrics with jamdani weaves and chikankari work, Gaurang used the finest khadi, kota and organza with yarns like muga and silk. The weaves were further transformed into matchless beauties with tonal Parsi gara style and chikankari embroidery.
His collection included saris, slim kurtas, fluid palazzos, anarkalis, full circle lehengas, intricately embroidered cholis and blouses. “This is our heritage and tradition. Everyone knows me for my colours and every show has a riot of colours, but this time, I chose white. My whole collection was prepared in two months,” he shared
Bringing the show to a beautiful end was gorgeous Tabu, who walked wearing a magnificent wide gold-bordered anarkali over a swirling lehenga teamed with an ornate gold dupatta. “Gaurang is my neighbour in Hyderabad. We have old connections and whenever I need something easy, simple, luxurious and comfortable, I know who to go to,” said Tabu.
Art on fashion
Debutante Hyderabad-based designer Sashi Vangapalli made an impact with her debut collection, Bidariya, on day five. Contemporary silhouettes adorned the rich outfits, through strategic placements of the embroidery. The ensembles comprised of a long cape with a jumpsuit, a flowing off-shoulder sheer top with a graceful skirt with a slit, and even an asymmetrical top, teamed with pants. These garments had a gradual colour palette that started with pastels and transformed into rich yellow, eventually transitioning to the combination of red and black.
Sushmita Sen walked the ramp in one of Sashi Vangapalli’s creations
“The Bidri art form, which originated in the town of Bidar, is a mix of the Persian, Arabic and Turkish art forms. I had in mind the modern Indian women deeply rooted to their traditional roots and Bidri art form gave meaning to this thought process,” said Sashi.
Dressed in a majestic purple gown, Sushmita Sen walked the ramp as Sashi’s showstopper. “It was a closed deal the minute I knew she is from Hyderabad. It’s my janmabhoomi and I know a lot of designers there who have done some amazing work with traditional work. And then, Sashi came around with her modern outfits. For someone who wears black all the time, to wear lavender was amazing,” said Sushmita.
