Lakme Fashion Week saw designers fuse conventional weaves and fabrics with modern techniques
The experience of the runway was elevated further as it was embellished with flowers and mirrors. The models sashayed down in a treasure trove of colours, ranging from ivory, ecru, champagne, sapling blue to emerald green which set the mood for Day 4 of the Lakme Fashion Week.
It saw designers blending traditional weaves with modern techniques. The show commenced with designers Abhishek Sharma, Sunaina Khera and Kshitij Jalori presenting their latest collections.
Sharma’s collection reminded one of Mithila paintings and drew inspiration from the “union of male and female forms in ancient Indian philosophy”. The designer tried to draw a contrast between silhouettes, colours, textures and embroidery. Fabrics like chiffon, satin, organza and handloom silks were used to create crop tops, skirts, dresses, gowns and blazers in colours, including off white, ivory, pastel shades of lavender. The use of glass pipes and cut work added surface texturing and intricate detailing to the collection.
Designer Sunaina Khera’s collection, Dear Mom, was an ode to her mother who she says is the “strongest female figure in her life”. The collection saw Sunaina incorporate all things dear to her, including motifs, colours and techniques. Channelising her emotions and life journey through her design sensibilities and aesthetics, Sunaina created an eclectic vocabulary of ensembles. The beautiful curation of feminine motifs and silhouettes allowed the designer to use emotion as her design language.
The line-up was dominated by red and green colours and included shades of pink, burgundy, beige and black, including motifs of lilies, roses and cherry blossoms. There were intricately embellished sarees worn with straight kurtas, the brand’s signature lehengas with hand-embroidered dupattas and dresses made of fabrics like organza, tulles and crepes.
Jalori presented his collection which had contemporary, free-flowing silhouettes, including a breathtakingly beautiful black sequined saree paired with a matching blouse and a plain silk lehenga, choli with embroidered dupattas in off-white and ivory colours. A crop top was paired with a pencil skirt while the skater dresses and sequined midi dresses had flower motifs, surface texturing which made the collection ideal for today’s modern women who wants to look for comfortable yet glamorous outfits.
Further, Designer Gaurang launched his latest collection, Peshwai, inspired by the grandeur of the Peshwas. The show saw a line-up of ethnic wear that comprised sarees, lehengas, cholis, dupattas and suits with motifs of birds, trees and flowers. For men, the collection had kurtas with dhotis, churidaar, dupattas and sherwanis. The collection also saw Persian designs and mosaics and ranged from shades of pink, yellow, orange, red, golden and white.
Actresses Pooja Hegde, Diana Penty and Tara Sutaria walked the ramp. Pooja turned showstopper for designer Jayanti Reddy’s collection, Benares and Beyond, which drew inspiration from the old cities, Kashi and Varanasi. Diana and Tara closed the shows for Riddhi Mehra and veteran Ritu Kumar.
Mohenjo Daro actress Pooja wore a purple lehenga, choli with intricate mint green-coloured meenakari detailing, and a contrasting silver dupatta. She completed her look with a glossy makeup and beach wavy hair. The model-turned-actress who returned to the runway said her journey from the ramp to films and to ramp again had made it a “full circle”. On her look, she said, “I would definitely choose a similar look as it gives a modern twist to the traditional outfit.”
Diana wore an ivory lehenga that had a lot of surface texturing and pearl embellishment with a matching blouse and dupatta for Mehra’s collection, An Ode to Heirlooms, that saw a mix of ikat, bohemian and Kashmiri prints with a contemporary touch. The range was inspired by rich Kashmiri pashmina shawls, Basra pearls, inherited vintage jewels and hand-woven silk sarees. Diana said, “Walking for Ridhi Mehra was such a delight. Not only is she lovely, her collection was so regal and elegant, it made me feel every bit gorgeous.”
Tara Sutaria, who made her Bollywood debut with Karan Johar’s Student of the Year 2, walked the ramp donning a boho look. She wore a slip dress with white, full-sleeved blouse, layered with long tassles and knee-length black boots.
— With inputs from agencies