The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

GLITZ & GLAMOUR

Lakme India Fashion Week begins in style
Smriti Kak Ramachandran

A model wears Rina Dhaka’s creation.

The wait over and the controversies still around, Lakme India Fashion Week began in the national Capital today. Determined to chill out despite the soaring mercury levels, the junta that swears by fashion got to watch the works of designers including Rina Dhaka, Payal Jain, Nandita Basu, Abhishek Gupta and Rajesh Pratap.

While the male models, three of them to be precise, have pulled out at the last minute, the female counterparts were seen doing much better. The crowds were manageable and the organisers breathing easy.

Eagerly awaited Rina’s collection of “sassy and very fun”, presented the James Bond girls. The look was strongly one of “fearless glamour, razzmatazz and crazy evenings on the beach doing the wild stuff”.

On display were flesh toned and ivory capris, skirts and cat suits, with the focus on slinky body fits. A party driven 20s mood came through in her dresses, all-jazz music inspired sequining and fringing, with some Paco Rabanne style metal chain mail looks. The colours of this range were classic- ivory, sage, lavender and old rose.

Her collection’s strength was its “texturisation”, sequining in silver and gold done into fish scale perfection, use of gold shimmer, which is very strong for Spring-Summer 2005, delicately compact mushroom-underside like pleating and joyously colourful patchwork enhanced with wool baubles and seaming.

Summer collection from Weekender

Jeans for office.

Informals for corporates

Summer wear with traditional pastels.

Weekender’s collection for the summer has ‘traditional pastels’ and ‘innovative bright hues’. The company has lined up a range of ‘blues’ ‘hardware’, ‘essentials’ and ‘partyskins’ in shades of translucent ocean blues and reflective watery greens.

The ‘hardware’ collection is for the hikers, the ‘city slickers’ can sweat it out in ‘sporty flavours’ with mesh layering, ‘University styles’ and number printing.

The clothes are styled with burnt out surfaces, vintage and neo-classical prints, embroidery, cord and beadwork.

Mango has unveiled an array of ‘aqua collection’. Pastels are presented in “the most fashionable manner with the cool combinations”.

The inspiration behind the collection is “vacation clothing and the chic retro bathing from the 50s”. We are also told that the collection includes “capris, wide stripes, bolero jackets, tennis dresses, in watery tones of swimming pool and lavender combined with white”.

Tropic safari, acid and pastel basic are the other colours used in the collection. While tropical safari attempts to “combine military garments, exclusively in khaki with others of a feminine style, acid and pastel basics present timeless garments in simple lines in two colour versions”.

For those looking for “new sophisticated look to business weekends, business meetings outside office, training seminars…” Van Heusen has the solutions. They claim that their new range of ‘Informals’ is the “ultimate in formal clothing”.

The range includes patterns ranging from slubs, lustra, diamond dobby, diagonals and neo-denim.

Allen Solly is aiming to “launch jeans” into the “office”. Their “clean jeans” is targeted at “workwear segment with the intention of providing maximum comfort at the workplace”.

Here is more on the ‘clean jeans’ for the right look. They can be coordinated with the ‘Microfibre Solids Shirts’ or ‘Uncrushable’ shirts and have no fancy work, including embroidery or leather patches and stand out because of their simplicity.

The company’s summer line up includes Zen linen, inspired by the calm, soothing properties of Zen, Boomerang for a relaxed look, the retro look inspired by the 60s and Murano, a collection of formal work wear inspired by glassmakers’ along the shores of Venice.

Bandhura, which means pretty, is a line of designer wear for “the metro-sexual woman”, conceived by Neeru and Rani. Having acquired the know how working in export houses, the duo claim that “today’s working women are looking for affordable, wearable and good looking clothes”.

Apart from the usual promises of great designs and cuts and feels, the Bandhura offers to pick and drop your clothes. Some allurement this!

Magiq @ Intershope is aiming to “weave magic into the lives of young women, who have aspirations to grow in life beautifully and successfully”. This they propose to do by introducing their range of western, Indo-western, and ethnic wear. The brand will offer “latest and trendiest” in the fashion segment, with “great fits, forms and finish”.

Finally for those who want to strut about in their slumber wear, Sweet Dreams has a collection, which allows you to venture out without raising eyebrows. Shorts, capris, pajamas and nighties, which double up as lounge wear, are being offered along with “matching” coffee mugs, chappals and pouches.

Kundan jewellery exhibition

Authentic and intricate Kundan designs.

Aastha, a brand of jewels from the house of Swarn Gems, is organising a month long Kundan jewellery exhibition in the national Capital. Being hosted in its South Extension showroom, the exhibition will showcase the works of the acclaimed craftsman Gauri Shankar.

Having earned himself a name in the field of Kundan designing, Gauri Shankar is all of 23, but has people vouching for his work both in India and abroad.

On display will the authentic and intricate Kundan designs that have been dexterously created by the artisans from Sardar Shehar, Rajasthan. The artisans will share their knowledge of the precious stones with the visitors.

Apart from the exhibition, Aastha is also launching its special summer collection. The pieces are made using stones like topaz, pearl, emerald, ruby and sapphire. These stones help in keeping the body temperature down and help to beat the heat, says Ashok Kumar Jain, the man behind Aastha.

Cantabil showroom inaugurated

In an attempt to tap the retail market, Cantabil International recently opened its 22nd exclusive showroom at Paschim Vihar, which was inaugurated by model Divya Jaitly. The chief managing director of this company, Mr Vijay Bansal, was also present on the occasion, said that they were emerging as a major player in the readymade garment sector. “In a short span of time, we have come out with the complete range of men’s wear, which covers the entire gamut of men’s wardrobe from shirts, trousers, denims, cargoes, short shirts, suits, ties and belts, using the finest texture with eco-friendly fabrics, having a unique quality of skin adaptiveness in amazing colours, style and fit.” It is essential for every man’s wardrobe, who understands quality with latest trend, he added.

Inputs by Nalini Ranjan