It’s that time of the year again when clothes take the centre stage. Flashbulbs, glitter, glitterati, all in the right mix make up the Lakme Fashion Week franchise and this year too it is no different. Curtains are up for Lakme Fashion Week Winter Festive 2014, and as usual there is a whole host of designers — from newbies, veterans to house favourites. We take a look at what a few of the designers are showcasing at the LFW 2014.
Anita Dongre
Designer Anita Dongre’s bridal couture collection ‘India Modern’ is an ode to the country’s rich crafts paired with modern design and contemporary silhouettes for the new-age women and her muse — Nayantara, The Jaipur Bride.
Flowy bridal lehengas with subtle detailing and layering juxtaposed with intricate gota patti, doori and hand embroidery on rich fabrics. Lehengas paired with crop tops, structured jackets with embroidered pants and elegant couture gowns make up this unique yet quintessentially Indian collection.
Colours range from soft neutrals like cream and flesh to vibrant jewel tones of ruby reds, peacock blues and raani pinks.
Manish Malhotra
Bollywood’s favourite designer will showcase his India Cocktail line for the neo-bride at the event’s Grand Finale. This collection has been specially put together for occasions where the brides can experiment and have fun with their outfits — engagement, cocktail, sangeet or to take along as part of her wedding trousseau.
The collection features flowy skirts substitute for the lehenga, glamorised racer backs, reinvented kalidars, and Manish Malhotra’s version of the gown sari, in hues of wine, burgundy, grey and silver. Treated textured silks, decadent velvets, delicate chiffons and soft nets, find favour in this range.
Varun Bahl
Varun Bahl who is back at LFW after a decade will showcase the Diffusion Line that will bring together India’s rich crafts and cutting-edge patternmaking of the West. Modern silhouettes in jackets, trousers, skirts, and shirts, get a shot of contemporary Indian embroidery and hand-done techniques infused with his signature Rose motif appliqués. The colour palette this time around is black, gold, silver, grey, ivory, beige, mustard, pale pink, pale blue and rose. The collection that comprises both day and night wear uses silk, tulle, cotton, and crepe.
Priyadarshini Rao
Misty mountains, pale green lakes and glittering sky — Rao’s Nature-inspired line is resplendent in shades of Indigo and a few accents of burnt tangerine and fuschia.
Sheer over-pieces on long dresses and tunics with roomy pants, overdresses on long crinkled dresses, saris and lehengas worn with soft, unstructured jackets that skim the surface give the silhouettes from the 1920s a contemporary twist. Dyed silks, chanderis, chiffons, georgettes, chikankari and brocade georgettes are used with demure paisleys, ditsy florals, blooms, and geometrics prints.
Recalling her debut show at the LFW, Rao says: “It was in 2001, the year of LFW’s inception. As young designers, we were clearly very nervous. I remember my collection had appliquéd roses and we had bagged an order from London. It was a huge adrenalin rush.” As for this year, she only hopes that “good designs take precedence over celebrity attendance and give designers like us, their due.”
