Cut, colour, co-ord or contrast, here are the designer looks to take inspiration from
Mona
ashion is the armour to survive the reality of everyday life… said American photographer Bill Cunningham. Going by the number of interesting looks, some old, others new, upgraded, upcycled versions of hundreds of years old fabric and techniques, brought to us by the designers on the ramp, it looks like we have God’s plenty to sail through the summer.
Here are a few looks to find inspiration in…
Life in black and white
Trends may come and go, but the magic of black and white is here to stay, and slay. Go halfsies – upper white, bottom black, like the collection of Maria Grazia Chiuri’s Fall-Winter 2023/24 for Dior during Paris Fashion Week or Anavila Mishra’s opening show Dabu at Lakme Fashion Week x FDCI SS’23, who created sheer magic with the two tones. Dabu paid homage to an ancient hand block printing technique from Rajasthan which can be traced to about 675 AD.
Luscious lilac
Now, splash some colour to sail through the day confidently. And, going through the collections, lilac is still going strong. A glitzy all-lilac dress from the Pierre Cardin at Paris Fashion Week or FDCI Innovators—Akaaro at LFW—crop top, jacket and stripped skirt, there is plenty to play with all shades of purple. Men can too comfortably experiment with plain or printed ensembles. Divyam Mehta’s traditional wear for men takes different prints for the top and bottom!
Punch-hole cut-outs
Cut-outs are getting even more daring with each season. If you are open to some skin show, round, oval or triangle, go for ensembles that just give a peek. If conventional is your style, take inspiration from Pierre Cardin’s latest Paris outing with round cut-outs. The model completes the look with white bottom. Stick to footwear in the same hue to make the legs look longer.
Play with the silhouettes
Asymmetric silhouettes are sure winning hearts this season. Nitin Bal Chauhan’s collection, The Outsider, offers unusual off-centre design detailing that was eye catching. “It doesn’t get bigger in this country than Lakmé Fashion Week X FDCI. So, definitely we wanted to bring in our best elements to surprise the audience so that it doesn’t get dull and boring. We push boundaries and make things that look different,” says Nitin.
Catapulting Khadi
Versatility that co-ord sets offer is immense. For Shruti Sancheti’s Khadi collection, Khadder, at Lakmé Fashion Week brought in geometric motifs like stripes and checks. The colour palette was devoted to soft and earthy tones to match the texture of the fabric. The hand-block printing was the focal point of the line, with embellishments like cord embroidery and exquisite mukaish work. The wide array of comfortable duster jackets, perky boleros, practical co-ord sets, long layer-friendly dresses and bundies offered both Indian and western styles. Showstopper, Rakul Preet Singh, looked stunning in a four-piece navy/grey creation—a pair of perky shorts, panelled, slit, maxi skirt, intricately embroidered bralette and a long, luxuriously, embellished, floor-sweeping robe.
“Khadi is perceived as a serious, limiting, antiquated and austere fabric. In our collection Khadder, we want to relay the fact that khadi is fun, versatile, contemporary and can be used in occasion wear. We firmly believe that this beautiful fabric has the potential to become globally relevant. It epitomises restrained opulence and understated luxury,” says Shruti Sancheti.
Saree styled for comfort
It’s time to give sarees a new spin. Pair a six-yard with a peplum top, dress it with shoes and seedha palla for convenience, and there you have the look from khadi India on ramp transported to very comfortable and convenient signature style!
Matchy match
Moving from desi, traditional wear, fuscia seems to have won western designers’ attention too. Versace’s latest outing just prior to Oscars in Los Angeles, had a model don a fuscia dress with self patterned jacket, accessorised with footwear and bag in same hue. Pick your colour, and go matchy-match head to toe!
