My Pick of the Most Unusual Looks from Amazon India Fashion Week

Fashion weeks are always full of so many contrasts - on one hand are the beautiful and inspiring clothes, and then on the other are the mundane and the wtf clothes. This post is about the latter type of clothes.

Designers should express their creativity on the ramp through their clothes, but sometimes this takes a turn for the ultra unusual and these styles are in my opinion, very unusual. Unusual because of the strange cuts, colours or just the putting together of the outfit. Ramp pieces are not meant to be worn as they are, as they express the creativity, and subsequently the more commercial styles become available, but even for ramp pieces - these styles are unusual in my opinion.

I asked a friend of mine who is a non-fashion person and speaks hindi to put the captions. He translated for me and it sounded quite funny!

Mujhe topi aur kurta pehna diya zabardasti

Aise patloon to sirf jail mein pehente hai na?

Plastic ki Bag ke jaise dress pehene ki hamesh ichha thi meri

Baby ko frill pasand hai, lekin yeh to hadh ho gayi

Mummy, thoda gila kar diya, change kar loon?

Mere aas paas nahi aana

Charas? Ganja? Kuch to hoga?

Yeh shiny shiny material bahut chubhta hai

Rishte mein to hum tumhare baap lagte hai

Mukje black aur colours randomly join kar ke jacket bahut pasand hai. Daadi ko bhi

Mummy, aapko nahi samjhe ga, yeh fashion hai

Haan, maine kiya khoon. Is jacket mein.

Kahan dekhoon, kya karoon, itne colours aur lines ki dimaag hi nahi kaam karta hai

? = necklace ks shape. @ wala kahan gaya?

Pictures from strandofsilk.com

My Favourite Show from Lakme Fashion Week Winter Festive 2016

A lot of people are going to say that their favourite shows were the ones by the bigger designers like Tarun Tahiliani or Manish Malhotra or Sabyasachi. These shows were great and gorgeous as usual. They showcased beautiful clothes and on display was the vision of each of these legendary designers.

But none of these were my favourite. Why you ask? Let me tell you, but some highlights from these shows - only because they deserve respect.

Tarun Tahiliani

Sabyasachi Mukherjee

My favourite show? The All Plus Size show that was styled by Little Shilpa (you see the contradiction here already?!). The show itself was amazing because of the over the top vision of Little Shilpa.

After all, what is the point of a fashion show if not to delve into the mind of the designer. The clothes are part of the vision, but that is just one part. The theatre and drama are equally important.

Now, does this mean that plus size is now going to be the norm on Indian catwalks and in India? Far from it. I think this is a good first step. But it has to be clear that this is just that - a first step. It is going to take a long time for perceptions to change. And perhaps far longer for acceptance by the general public of the concept of plus size fashion.

Traditionally this segment has been ignored, shunned and even swept under the rug. But this is the first breaking out. And I loved the show for showing the courage to actually address this segment. May there be lots more shows and even more stylish looks to come!

A Sneak Peek into Lakme Fashion Week 2015

Excitement and anticipation are the innate feelings of every fashion enthusiast especially at the time of unveiling of a new fashion week. The trends, silhouettes, fabrics, colour palette of the season, accessories and make-up are indeed the major areas of interest for true fashionistas at heart. So, if you are also craving to know what’s in store for you in this year’s Lakme Fashion Week 2015, let’s gather the details without any further delay-

Hair and Make-up
Last year, we observed the no-make-up look ruled the ramp. This year too, it marked its presence with a twist. The subtle no-make-up look got a new definition with the hint of illuminator for the much required glow and radiance. Models sported matte textured make-up with just the little highlight. And the feature which grabbed the entire attention was the lips. Yes, it was the lips which did all the talking in Lakme Fashion Week 2015.The sculpted and well-defined lips with eye-popping shades of deep red, plums and dark burgundy were very evident. It made the perfect contrast with the understated make-up look. Eye make-up was minimalistic with the focus on natural skin tone by using the shades of basic browns along with lots of mascara. How can we forget the elaborate hair-dos to beat the heat? The structured up-dos, top knots, pony tails, slick glossy centre-parted hair were a treat to eyes.

Trends to look out for
Lakme Fashion Week 2015 laid down some of the most extravagant and ravishing trends which are perfect for the summers. These were wearable and have the power to revolutionise your wardrobe for good.

Monochrome Mania
Monochrome is one trend that never lets you down. Lakme Fashion week 2015 was high on monochromes with the striking balance between the fifty shades of black and white. The stunning embroideries and floral patterns in the monochromes were all over the place.

Pave the way for Pastels
Pep up your style with the hues of pale pinks, mint green, blush blue, pristine peaches as Lakme Fashion Week 2015 endorsed the nature inspired candy colour palette for the upcoming season. Gorgeous motifs and floral prints with the touch of sequins brought the whiff of fresh air to the runway. Lehangas, crop tops, box tops and skirts in pastel colours made the onlookers go wow!

Peculiar Prints
Prints were another highlight of Lakme Fashion Week 2015. The out-of-the-box quirky prints added the much-required zing to the event. Apart from the usual prints, the bold and colourful designs portraying animals like owl, fish made a statement.

Bring the Bling
Lakme Fashion Week 2015 gave big thumbs up to the bling. Sequin dresses, metallic hues and shimmering fabrics are definitely the flavor of the season. So, fashionistas bring on the bling and set the party mood.

Block that Colour
Colour blocking is one trend which has emerged and evolved over the years. The bold and bright colour blocking trend made its mark in this year’s Lakme Fashion Week 2015 too. Whether it is ombre dyed tunics or dresses, colour blocking trend made a striking comeback. Play with colours and be a head turner!

Boho chic
What could be better than wearing a Bohemian inspired silhouette this year? Yes the boho look took the centre stage as we witnessed a lot of flowy garments like kaftans, capes and fusion outfits embellished with rich embroideries and mirror work. Throw yourself in an easy breezy boho silhouette and be the fashion connoisseur that you are.

Flower Power
What really mesmerised us to the core was the sight of full bloom floral inspired outfits. Big, bold, beautiful, blue floral motifs and embroideries added a new dimension to the event. Designer Manish Malhotra presented the ‘Blue Runway’ collection that included floral bloom in hues of blue and yellow. Everything from flowy gowns to jacket saris was adorned in the variations of blue colour.

Designers and their Show-stoppers
Fashion world and Bollywood go hand in hand. Many Bollywood actors walk the ramp for their favourite designers. This year too, many celebrities dazzled the runway sporting the designer wear with oomph and grace. While Nargis Fakri walked for renowned designer Masaba, Aditi Rao Hydri looked stunning in Archana Rao’s creation. Newbie Shraddha Kapoor wore Miss Bennett London and emerged as the reigning ramp queen.

The actress par excellence, Vidya Balan carried her signature sari style by walking for Gaurang Shah. Raghavendra Rathore pitched in Ritesh Deshmukh to present his iconic traditional collection. Also veteran actress Karishma Kapoor, gorgeous Tamanna Bhatia and sizzling Chitrangada Singh graced the ramp. For the grand finale, the queen of drapes designer Anamika Khanna, showcased her impeccable collection and Kareena Kapoor, Deepika Padukone, Sonakshi Sinha and Jacqueline Fernandez were the showstoppers.

Lakme Fashion Week 2015 was high on design and creativity. It truly deserved the appreciation and applause!

See also The Top Lakme Fashion Week Designers for Summer-Resort 2015!

Celibrity Showstoppers at Indian Fashion Weeks

For the last seasons of several Indian fashion weeks, we haven't seen a lot of celebrities walking the ramp.

A small variety of celebrity showstoppers were present for the spring/summer season for the finale of several Indian designers. Within the finales, we saw Aditi Rao Hydari for Payal Singhal, Koyal Rana for Joy Mitra, Sania Mirza for Ritu Pande, Monica Dogra for Kanika Saluja and Arjun Rampal for Rohit Bal. For a long time now, Indian designers have included celebrities in big events such as Wills Lifestyle Indian Fashion Week, because it’s a sort of distraction to have Bollywood celebrities walking on the ramp and even better for the audience. However, having these celebrity showstoppers during these events remains strictly business.

For example, this year for Amazon India Fashion Week, there were an unprecedented number of celebrities who attended, but not necessarily for walking the ramp. The first celebrity that we saw in a show was Sonal Chauhan for Nikhita Tandon, which wasn't until Day 4 of the event. And for the rest of the week, it was more about focusing on the clothes than anything else.

Nikhita Tandon, the only designer who featured a celebrity in her show, stated that she was surprised to be the only one. Because for her, it’s not that important to have a celebrity walking during a show, but for sure it helps to get easily noticed, especially for the new designers and can be very interesting for them.

Showcasing a celebrity within your show is a big choice to make, and sometimes some shows need a celebrity showstopper to gain more attention, depending on the major part of the collection that the designer wants to share.

For some designers, they believe that there is no particular need for a celebrity because their collections are already well known. And obviously, they have to take in account that showstoppers are attractive of course, but they are also very expensive.

For a Grand finale of an event such as Lakme Fashion Week or Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week, it can be very interesting and important to have a celebrity in the show. This is because the finale will close the fashion event, so it’s understandable that the designer will want to make a lasting impression somehow,  sometimes the sponsor will even ask the designer to do it.

  

For others, it’s also the fact that showstoppers will not necessarily walk for a show without a particular reason. Often, it’s because it will bring the showstopper a kind of gratification, or because there is a friendship between the designer and the showstopper.

So the real question is, do you think that Indian designers really need celebrity showstoppers during an Indian fashion week?

Want to see more about celebrity style?

Amazon India Fashion Week AW 2015 Grand Finale Highlights

Amazon India Fashion Week Autumn/Winter 2015 has come to an end. Famous Indian designers were present at this big event. In total, this year, there were 25 designers like Tarun Tahiliani, Ritu Kumar, Sabyasachi Mukherjee, Raghavendra Rathore and many others. But the favourite part of this India Fashion Week edition was the 25th Grand Finale, where all the designers from the event were there to celebrate Indian heritage.

For the Grand Finale, all designers shared their collections with a specific theme “Crafts of India”. They gave us a fantastic show by offering us their inspirations from Indian history and Indian culture.

Big names of Indian Fashion like Manish Arora, Rajesh Pratap Singh, Rina Dhaka, Abraham & Thakore, Manish Malhotra, Sabyasachi and Wendell Rodricks came together at the end of the finale show. We saw the Indian designer Bal starting the party mode. All others designers, and even models joined this fun side at the ramp, during the final show. 

About the collections showcased at the Grand Finale, we saw a lot of creativity, originality, innovation, and style mixing Indian and Western fashion. The main clothes were dresses, sarees, gowns, lehengas, suits, sherwanis and jumpsuits. Different styles were embellished beginning with a western collection, deep colours of daylight, ethnic beauty and lots of rich Indian bridal wear. 

We also caught a stunning view on the stage, of the silhouette of a dome with little dolls and mirrors held up by white dresses. It was a real gift for Indian fashion lovers to see how Indian heritage was reflected in the show.

Amazon India Fashion Week’s Grand Finale began with Wendell Rodricks’s collections - a beautiful orange dress with bold and edgy garments. While Varma’s models on the ramp, wore turbans and outfits with a shimmery effect.

Pankaj & Nidhi's collection offered to us, a completely different style with geometric inspirations and florals in all their dresses. For the first time, these two Indian designers were very happy to showcase their collections during a finale show.

Gaurav Gupta wanted to bring the idea and statement of “unity and diversity” in his collection. It was important for him to send this message to everyone and added “We are one big family”. 

This year, Amazon India Fashion Week Autumn/Winter 2015 was once again a real success. Having as the main sponsor, the most well known online portal, Amazon, certainly boosted the importance and publicity of the five-day fashion gala.

The Lakme Fashion Week Summer/Resort 2015: 15 years of Fashion

Lakme Fashion Week Summer/Resort 2015 is finally here! All was ready, the stage, the lights and the models. We will observe carefully and catch up some of the newest talents and styles to hit the runway.

This year, Lakme Fashion Week will reflect the completion of 15 years of the bi-annual event. In total, there are 83 designers and 15 sponsors that will be in this Summer Resort 2015 event. The big names of India's fashion designers will include Manish Malhotra, Tarun Tahiliani, Suneet Verma, Raghavendra Rathore, Krishna Mehta, Shivan & Narresh, Kiran Uttam Gosh and Wendell Rodricks.

All the Bollywood leading ladies from Sridevi to Deepika Padukone already made a beeline to attend the opening show of Lakme Fashion Week. We have witnessed Bollywood diva Kajol in a lovely floral dress design by Indian designer Sabyasachi. She completed her look with simple bun, nude heels and turquoise chandeliers.

Deepika Padukone was also wearing Sabyasachi, a beautiful floral printed dress in a berry tone with a bright red clutch, and looked absolutely gorgeous. Fashionista Neha Dhupia also attend the event, wearing a simple pretty beige tunic

This 5-day gala began yesterday with the opening show with Sabyasachi. As the Indian designer loves the 70’s decade, he wanted to combine this era with his signature in his collection, creating a distinctive 70’s vibe.

Here are some remarkable photos of Sabyasachi’s show at Lakme Fashion Week Summer/Resort 2015:

All eyes will be on The Lakme Fashion Week Summer/Resort 2015!