Dress to Dazzle
Anamika Khanna opens Hyundai India Couture Week 2026, followed by Falguni Shane Peacock’s cinematic journey and Rohit Bal’s artisanal heritage
Just one flash of diamonds under those heavy runway lights is enough to remind us veteran front-rowers exactly why we endure the whole fashion month circus. Hyundai India Couture Week 2026 quietly opened with Anamika Khanna before the momentum shifted to Delhi for Falguni Shane Peacock and Rohit Bal.
Falguni Shane Peacock took the first slot for the capital’s calendar and completely transformed the space. They turned the runway into a literal Orient Express journey. Their showcase was called Le Grand Voyage and it felt intensely cinematic, setting the models against this gorgeous vintage luxury rail carriage
backdrop. The designer essentially took the audience across continents. The collection traveled from the Byzantine mosaics of Rome to Paris, down to Egypt, and back home to India. They managed to pull this off without ever once making the clothes look like a cheap souvenir postcard. The colour palette moved beautifully from powdery periwinkle and soft blush right into heavy midnight black and deep wine. As for the construction, it absolutely demanded close inspection. Corsets cut from near-invisible champagne mesh were packed with this obsessive micro-beading. A frosted lavender look caught the eye instantly: a severe little jacket drowning in crystals, hovering right over a skirt completely swallowed by feathers. The styling leaned shamelessly into excess, piling thick diamond chokers right up the throat while massive emerald and ruby drops brushed against delicate lace collars.
The feeling in the room changed when the House of Rohit Bal was shown; it felt like something special and deeply personal was happening. Fraze Tasnim, who presented Dastkar at India Couture Week in Delhi, is leading the House of Rohit Bal through Indian fashion’s least-tried challenge of succession. What does Dastkar mean? It is Urdu for a craftsman, the very people who build luxury from the ground up. Gudda is no longer with us, but his soul and exactly what he wanted for Indian couture remains entirely alive in this collection. When societies routinely fail to support the masters responsible for keeping our history alive, leaving gifted creators with zero stage left to stand on, a presentation turning the spotlight on the hands behind the legend breaks that forced silence beautifully. Heavy black velvet coats and stiff peplums bloomed with hyper-realistic crimson roses. In brilliant contrast, immaculate ivory sherwanis featured lush botanical scenes where delicately stitched hummingbirds and cheetahs hid among palm fronds. This completed a night proving true craft will always outlive us all.
LE GRAND VOYAGE
The collection features a striking balance of structure and excess, showcasing an intricately embellished monochrome jacket alongside a dramatic gown covered in feathers.
DASTKAR
The House of Rohit Bal brings pure theatre, contrasting crisp white tailoring and ruffled collars with heavy black velvet blooming in crimson roses.
