The Fashion in Fashion Week
Now that the Willis Lifestyle India Fashion Week, whose expansion of India’s fashion industry was cause of earlier debate, has concluded, it’s time to turn our eyes to what the event was truly about: fashion.
The collections, designed for the spring and summer of 2007, displayed a variety of pallettes, inspirations, and styles, though many remarked early in the week that this was not the stuff of major innovation. The first day witnessed a garden-themed collection by Mona Pali with leaf and flower motifs, but was largely dominated by the clean whites of Rohit Bal and Rahul of Cue. Bal was acknowledged as the showstopper of the day, weaving traditional styles subtly into his modern works, with silver and gold metal thread and a recurring chakra motif.
As the week progressed, however, it seemed that the whites introduced by Bal and Rahul had dictated a theme, with designers such as Meera and Muzaffar Ali adding kalamkari cloth to white, Anamika Khanna pairing white with block prints, and Gaurav Gupta introduing an all-white sari with gold embroidered sash-like across the front. The Alis’ ‘Kotwara’ collection, decorated with Urdu calligraphy in metallic layers, was universally praised.
The end of the week proved a battle on the catwalk in the minds of reporters, some of whom believed that Rajesh Pratap Singh stole the show, and others maintaining that Deepika Govind held the day. The thread that connects the success of these two designers may be a coloured one; Pratap’s collection was a blend of flourescent yellows and greens, deep reds, and otherwise stately garments were leavened with brightly colored flowers at the hems. He truly proved his prowess in silhouette innovation, however, bringing back his signature pin tucks along with yokes running in every conceivable direction. Meanwhile, Govind’s success was based upon a creative combination of red, charcoal, and brown, whose dramatic meeting had been inspired by the colours’ conceptual personalities. Her off-shoulder tops and long jackets used these themes to notable effect.
Bollywood presences added glamour to the already-sparkling event. Sameera Reddy previewed the Manish Malhotra collection, while Riya Sen attended a seminar on hair styling on Friday. Former model Arjun Rampal ’stopped the show’ walking the ramp in Rohit Bal’s all-white ensemble. “I was very nervous and scared,” the actor confessed. “Till the moment I stepped on the ramp, I was having second thoughts. But I did it all for my friend Rohit Bal!â€
But, at the end of the week, the true victors are those designers whose collections have been picked up by fashion houses for production. Despite earlier apprehensions, several walked away with promising deals, including Ranna Gill, whose Uzbek collection was picked up by Maria Luisa of Paris. Rumours fly about Maria Luisa showing additional interest in Pratap’s stunning designs. A relative newcomer to the business, Jatin Verma, was frankly excited that “fashion houses from Africa, New York, London and Hong Kong have expressed interest in my collection. In fact, I have improved from last time when I received orders from just two to three buyers. This time around the number has doubled and six-seven buyers have placed orders with me.” It seems that expansion has been fruitful, rather than hasty, and India’s designers are poised to take off all over the world!