Amidst all the hustle bustle due to the Eid holiday, traffic snarls thanks to the infamous Mumbai rains, and the fast pace of a big city life, excitement surrounding the new season of Lakmé Fashion Week, still prevailed.
Taking place at the palatial St. Regis hotel in Mumbai, the first day of the 5 day fashion extravaganza was marked by the introduction of this year’s GenNext talent, the ELLE Graduate winners and a major chunk of fashion week regulars who presented collections that served unconventionality on an Indian palate.
Read on to find out the top designers and collections that stood out during the first day of Lakmé Fashion Week Winter Festive 2018…
431-88 by Shweta Kapur
431-88 may well be out fashion week discovery of the season, what with its softer approach to a collection heavily inspired by menswear but designed for women.
Stripped off arduous forms and extraneous details, the collection incorporated elements of structure and utility over luxurious folds of silk set against breezy cottons.
Tuning into the growing vacationing mindset of consumers today, the collection saw embroidery and motifs inspired by the Great Barrier Reef in a palette of olive, navy, mustard and khaki with bursts of red, orange and gold.
Antar – Agni Label by Ujjawal Dubey
Ujjawal Dubey has been a driving force behind changing the profile of men’s wear in India. For his Winter Festive 2018 collection, he referenced inspiration to Afghani silhouettes by incorporating his signature asymmetric closures, drapes and layers.
The designer experimented with metallic embroidery and textured fabrics that highlighted the muted palette followed across the collection. One key print that stood out was the camouflage print that invoked an urgent sense of unconventionality in an otherwise traditional range.
Never one to confine himself within the rules, Dubey added an unconventional touch to the otherwise traditional attire by styling his pieces with sneakers, high-ankle boots and folded pants.
AM:PM By Ankur And Priyanka Modi
An ode to the jet-setting, free-spirited, vagabond dresser, whose idealizes the carefree life of the wandering gypsy, Ankur and Priyanka Modi’s Winter Festive collection at Lakmé Fashion Week remodeled traditional Indian attire with a western tweak.
Dubbed ‘Gypset’, the collection paid homage to Julia Chaplin, the neo-hippie of global fame.
A mix of folksy yet urban silhouettes were presented as tunics, shirtdresses long coats with lapels, and flared salwars.
Details such as scalloped necklines, shimmering floral embroidery, dhoti pants with ‘A’ line coats brought a
flirty touch to the assortment, whilst a colorway dominant of forest green, sand, wine and chilli red lent a festive feel to a timeless feminine wardrobe.
A few stand out pieces included a hand crafted moulded jacket paired with crinkled wide layered palazzos, a poncho layered over an asymmetric dress and a long line tunic paired with dramatic sharara pants.
Urvashi Joneja
Joneja’s Winter Festive 2018 collection at Lakmé Fashion Week draws inspiration from the imagery of flying away… references of flying birds such as eagles and parrots are a mainstay throughout the collection.
Details such as pleating, latticework, 3D texturing, layering and floral appliqués over feminine drapes flowed gracefully across the ramp.
Rhea Chakraborty paired as the show stopper in a black floor grazing gown adorned with two huge 3D appliqué eagles.
