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!

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.

On-trend Indian Skirts for the Upcoming Season: Our Top Picks

The cold is closing in and we have officially entered winter, but that hasn’t stopped the influx of the Indian skirts trend which has dominated the fashion scene this Autumn/winter. Although skirts are associated with summer, we are seeing a variety of Autumn and Winter inspired designs and styles recently which are perfect for layering up and still looking trendy. 

One designer that always catches are attention when it comes to for Indian skirts is Anita Dongre, each style within her collections consists of a fusion of the old and the new, with a versatile colour palette comprising of a contrast of soft neutrals like nude and cream, to vibrant tones such as ruby reds, fuchsia pinks and peacock blues.

Anita dongre’s Jaipur bride collection consists of stunningly embellished Lehengas in rich Autumnal colours which are a definite favourite of ours this season, all of which are extremely unique yet characteristically Indian.

In relation to this, Anita has stated that a Jaipur Bride is said to be beautiful, complex, full of colour and very powerful. The collection is packed with unique beauty to each skirt designs and is what every bride-to-be could dream of. This particular exclusive collection is tailor made for the new-age Indian bride who want expand from the ordinary.

 

Another designer who has stood out to us is Siddartha Tytler, who creates the most unique skirt designs of all. According to the Indian designer “Novel silhouettes, innovative structural elements, new fangled patterns, ‘wear-ability’ and originality are the essential elements in every creation at the Siddartha Tytler studio". 

When creating one of his pieces an important factor come into play: changing trends or the inspiration by elements that exist as part of our everyday lives.

Siddhartha's extraordinary attention to detail is witnessed in the sharply defined silhouettes of his Indian skirts, we personally love the intricate detail showcased in each one of his garments, which is usually combined with dark colour tones and gold detailing. 

Making women look good is what Siddharta Tytler does best, form fitting or free-flowing, the silhouettes of these skirt designs emphasis the natural curves of the women’s body with a focus on surface ornamentation and unique embellishment. Never one to ignore bling, his forte is the use of crystal embellishment combined with gorgeously detailed thread work, a match made in heaven!

Indian Designers: My Top Picks for Autumn/Winter 2014

Indian designers are currently thriving and we are seeing a wide variety of styles and designers being brought into the limelight and displayed both on the catwalk and online.We have chosen a few of our current favourite Indian designers at the moment that we feel are perfect for this A/W!

Our first pick is Meera Mahadevia, she is perhaps the best kept secret in the international luxury handbag market. The brand began 27 years ago as a customised design accessory for celebrities and socialites across the world. Till now her designs have been only accessible to those who were lucky enough to grace the red carpet, but today her creations are showcased across India in a number of high-end fashion boutiques and online stores. 

Anushka clutch

A Meera Mahadevia luxury handbag comes in an eccentric and extremely varied range of stunning styles and designs, and are often made up of a distinctive blend of brass and copper embellished with wood carvings, marble inlays, silver engravings, semi-precious stones, antique frames, and spiritual emblems. Each handbag is said to be detailed to a fine precision, and all by using the most basic and artistic manufacturing tool of all time: the human hand! 

                                                 

                                                                  Pochette clutch

                                                
                                                 
                                              Stylish blue and golden clutch

                                                    
                                                 
                                                Maharani gayatri devi clutch
                                               
Our Second pick of one of our current favourite Indian designers is Myoho. Myoho designs have been recently described as a ‘seamless confluence of ethnicity, femininity and subtlety’, which we think describes the designs perfectly!                                   
                                          
                                                
                                                              Red floral pattered dress

Myoho designs are easy, relaxed and organic and have a beautiful range of elegant and wearable looks for any occasion. Although the designs have a clear traditional influence, they also have a modern and contemporary twist which creates a very high fashion and up to date appearance.

See more here

Masaba Gupta's Opening Show at Lakme Winter Festive Fashion Show 2014

Masaba Gupta pretty much started the trend of the printed styles, including printed saris, on the ramp and off-the ramp in India. The designer's prints are inspired by every-day objects and have loads of appeal for a younger generation.

The styles on the ramp for Masaba's Autumn Winter collection included an eclectic range. A lot of different silhouettes, but the common thread being the prints - from bold to delicate. Loved each one of the styles!

Shilpa Shetty also walked on the ramp for the designer as a showstopper.

Have you seen also Debashri Samanta?
Pics: Lakme Fashion Week