Designer dreams

Trends in the recently concluded Delhi Couture Week predict fashion in the coming seasons will be festive and celebratory with an element of joie de vivre,
writes Divisha Saran

Rohit Bal’s classic Shanti collection brought the curtains down on the couture week Sonakshi Sinha (C) was the showstopper for duo Shantanu-Nikhil Shraddha Kapoor (L) with Anju Modi Sharmila Tagore in an Ashima-Leena creation Arjun Rampal Suneet Verma's collection, suggestively titled Kamasutra, was a resonance of colours Photos: NF

THE spotlight on the darkened stage focusses on a curvaceous model in a flowing chiffon dress. As she walks down the ramp, the dress draws a collective applause from potential buyers, socialites and fashion groupies gathered for the occasion.

The recently concluded Delhi Couture Week, which is getting bigger and bigger each season, showcased the 2011 fall and winter collections of India’s leading fashion designers. It was a riot of colours, fabrics and exotic creations incorporating the best of western and Indian designs.

Swirling silhouettes

The wardrobe essentials in the coming season are — classic lehengas over fitted pyjamas, long skirts, sarongs, halter necks, figure-hugging dresses and short jackets, Persian blocks, lipi designs, traditional and swirling silhouettes, colours like fuschias, royal blues and rich yellows — the list is endless.

For women, simplicity was replaced by frills, sectioned by straps, contoured by crisscrossing strings. Sensuousness had never been more under the spotlight.

Men’s wear in the coming season, is expected to have more colour with colourful shirts, tuxedos and freeflowing trousers, reminiscent of an era gone by.

The colours are going to be whites, slate greys, golds, blacks and bottle greens. The couture includes fitted jackets, bandhgalas, tailored pants, churidaars and long-flowing shawls.

For a number of designers, the theme for the coming season is elegantly retro. Manish Malhotra’s Royal India—Pre-Partition Era collection is inspired by the opulence of Royalty during the British Raj.

The colours for women in the collection are cherry reds and burgundies with tones of mint green, aqua, and off whites.

For men it is a combination of blacks, royal blues, beiges and golds. "I think it’s time to go back to a lot of classics like the 1930s and the 1940s. I just love clothes from those times," says Malhotra.

The collection of designer duo of Shantanu and Nikhil titled Perfume personifies vintage royalty inspired by the Elizabethan era. Long-flowing gowns in muted hues are part of their dramatic collection.

Current Bollywood heartthrob Sonakshi Sinha was the showstopper as she displayed a stunning white structured dress with silver-embroidered overcoat.

Explains Shantanu, "Fabrics play a very important role in our collections as do textures and formats.

In every ensemble we have used two or three different fabrics. We have interplayed French lace with structured fabrics like raw silks and a heavy satin. "

Voluminous robes

The couture collection of Ashima-Leena titled Adaa, too, had a distinct vintage look of a time when a sensuous statement could be made without revealing the skin.

The voluminous robes, the rich gleam of jewels peeking through delicate odhanis are a sensual delight.

Tasveer, the collection by J. J. Valaya, too, was a hark back to the days of black-and-white, sepia and hand-stained photography.

Apart from the jacket, which remains a Valaya classic, there was a delightful assortment of saris with semi-precious stone embroideries and crystals sewn into folds of fine resham.

Suneet Verma, too, romanced the bygone era with his collection suggestively titled Kamasutra, which reflects the youthful demeanour of a seductress.

Zardozi kotis, paired with sheer skirts and choli-cut waistcoats, long sleeved sheer blouses and kamarbandhs sensuously depict a woman’s intense charms.

In fact the sari, according to designer Adrash Gill, is epochal.

Gill’s collection had a sensational blend of innocence and sensuousness. It went from the lyrical flow of the Indian sari to the fitted form of an evening gown.

Formal dresses embellished with subtle detailing and beaded jackets worn over cigarette pants came alive on the runway.

Her Indian bridal story conjured up visions of royal opulence that could become family heirlooms and her saris and gowns gave the collection a timeless appeal.

This appeal was something abundantly in evidence in the Manav Gangwani collection aptly titled Timeless Affaire.

The colours, fabrics and embroideries all lended a mix of light and shade, dazzling with Swarovski crystals. His play on colours includes delicate ivory, yellow and oranges.

It was apt for one of the best names in fashion designing to bring the curtains down on the couture week. Rohit Bal’s classic Shanti collection sprung yet another surprise.

"It is all about peace, ecstasy and feeling good from within," said the master couturier displaying his signature floral motifs in gowns, jackets, overcoats, flowing skirts and voluminous lehengas in whites, golden, blacks, blues and purples.

The showstopper for the grand finale was Arjun Rampal whom Rohit had discovered many years ago.

It was a Zen moment for both of them as the audience gave them a standing ovation. — NF