It is undeniable that ’70s and ’90s have inspired Amazon India Fashion Week Autumn-Winter 2016. The shows saw many silhouettes inclined towards a more structured and universal appeal with embroidered bomber jackets, trench coats, maxi robes clinched at the waist and menswear-inspired power dressing highlighting a dominating androgynous element in predominance for good measure. But were the collections at the week-long fashion bacchanal in accordance with Indian sensibilities or more feasible for the western markets is a question to ponder over.
There is an underlying contemporary influence that caters to the modern urban Indian the one who is at par with global perspectives and intellect. This is more so as designers increasingly look abroad for market. “We have international buyers so we do play with shapes, Indians can never be predicted; they will wear their Indian wear to the weddings and they will wear westerns on a daily basis,” says Rajdeep Ranawat.
Many argue that shows targeted at Fall/Winter 2016 collections are not relevant to Indian conditions. “I have been saying this for the past three years that where is Autumn/WinterIJ It only exists for designers who are catering to the international market,” argues Gautam. However many others disagree, stating that not only are Fall/Winter collections relevant, but very much ‘in demand’. Opines Gaurav Jai Gupta, “You have to be smart about how you do it. There are a lot of people who come in from overseas and if you don’t please them you lose the credibility of being a designer, along with business.”
Designers agree that colours make a lot of difference and so does the choice of fabric in differentiating the season. “For Indian clothes, we use more velvets, dark colours or full sleeves; it need not be all about woollens and heavy knits,” says Priya Chhabria. At the ongoing shows, details such as faux fur collars and stoles, over-the-knee boots, over-sized sleeves and coats in a myriad of autumnal tones set the mood for treading upon crunchy, fallen leaves in the approaching Fall/Winter season. From where we are standing, we are waiting eagerly to see the next direction in which Indian fashion unfolds.
The author, Mayank Mohindra, is from FFT (www.fashionforwardtrends.com) photos: Sanjeev Kumar & Pankaj Kumar