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Saturday, February 11, 2006 |
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Saturday, February 11, 2006 |
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Spring selection Indian fashion designers are not far behind in this race to sweep the hearts of women in the colour and style stakes. They too predict the hues and lines, which will dominate the markets from hi-fashion to pret wear. Several spring-summer collections have been launched in Indian cities in recent weeks and all of them have one theme in common. They all portray a burst and explosion of bright colours and hand-done embroidery or stitching. Prominent among these collections were the styles revealed recently by Ravage, a label created by Raj and Neetu of Bangalore, who have been retailing their clothes through all the big stores in India. Their collection comprised sarees, lehangas, angarkhas, tops and suits in mull, silk and georgette—all decorated with pearl embellishments. They predicted that the Victorian empire line that emphasises the bust will be in vogue and paid detailed attention to the waistline. “The spring fashion collections on show this year are very reminiscent of the Victorian era of high-waisted gowns and ribboned sleeves,” they say. “In contrast, the collections avoid the starkness of the Victorian era and offer an explosion of colours, to go with the Indian festival of Holi, which marks the coming of spring. The silk shawls or stoles are patch-worked in bright colours and have hand-stitched motifs on them. Expert hand-done work is the unique selling point for India and designers are banking on this asset once more. The skirts are long and panelled with crinkles or sequin work. Bandhanis, leheriyas and tie- and-dye work are perennially popular. The long skirt combined with a figure-hugging top are fashion’s favourites this season and women are free to wear this popular outfit in strong single colours to work or for leisure.” Raj and Neetu have come up as one of the best young team of designers this season through this collection shown in Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Chennai. Raj Shroff, the senior designer in the duo, was the chief and most preferred designer to the Art of Living group in the US, India and Australia. Neetu Gupta, on the other hand, was a well-known retail designer operating out of Bangalore when they met. They together set up the label Ravage. Other designers like Pooja Nayyar, Kiran Uttam Ghosh, Nandita Thirani, Renu Bothra and Sabina Singh have also come up with colourful and vibrant looks for spring-summer this year. Perhaps one of the most unique collections offered this year come from Uma Chauhan, the epoch-making designer who has crafted sexy cholis with crochet beads or pearls and matching throw-bags which look hip and happening. A walk around the new fashion destination called Courtyard in Mumbai —where some of India’s leading designers nest their collections—also proves that women are in for a riot of colours this season. Narendra Kumar Ahmed, Manish Arora, Rohit Bal and other high priests of fashion have begun to showcase their best looks for the spring season with a colour burst which heralds the season of joy in India. Not to be left behind, India’s street markets are echoing the same rhythms of colour and opulence, Roadside stalls in fashion streets all over the country are selling inexpensive versions of the long skirts and skimpy tops, sequined bags and mojris to budget-driven college students and working women. |
The entire concept of fashion is based on designers’ whimsies and women’s fantasies. Worldwide, there are hidden powers-that-be which predict the colours, looks and lines that will entice and sweep the hearts of women. And, each season, designers of clothes and accessories begin their journey to the world of colours, prints, embroidery and a thousand other embellishments to capture the hearts of fashion-conscious buyers all over the world.