As the fashion week drew to its end, instead of fashion fatigue, we were re-energised with some brilliant collections. Nikita Mhaisalkar showed her brilliance with Amazonian prints and glamorous styles, Nachiket Barve showed beautiful cocktail dresses to party your heart out. ‘Flaunt it if you got it’ screamed the clothes. On the other hand, we had Gaurav Gupta with his avant-garde look that never ceases to awe us. And then there was Rajesh Pratap Singh whose collection was simply a class apart. His show was not just a ramp show but a theatre of sorts with live opera, and screening of an enigmatic video as the models walked past in esoteric designs in measured steps.
Studio Medium by Diksha Khanna, Swatti Kapoor
GAURAV GUPTA: Enchanted Realms
Gaurav Gupta showed what he is best at – an avant-garde couture collection, which I like to call ‘wearable art’. The quintessential dramatic drapery and sculpted shapes that looped over the shoulders were seen yet again. But the newness came from a burst of crystal embroideries. The theme was celestial and the enchanted realms of the galaxy.
A burst of crystals, strategically placed on sheer net gowns, whale-boned funnelled blouses, ruffled wings and gill-like frills, corded horse-shoe loops on the side-seams, Edwardian collars and tactful nips and tucks on ensembles made it all very dramatic. Star-spangled crystal embroidery on men’s suits made it all a visual treat. Men in silver space suits and signature Gaurav Gupta ‘Eagle’ print suits were truly avant-garde.
Enchanted Realms by Gaurav Gupta
NIKITA MHAISALKAR: Tropical Times
Young designer Nikita is back on the ramp after making her debut in 2016 at the Lakme Fashion Week. This time she presented a very glamorous collection enthused with great prints, especially the Amazonian foliages and some snakeskin prints. Her colour story was primarily brown and silhouettes were crafted by draping and constructing body-hugging styles.
The über glamorous styles had sari-draped dresses, mini dresses with halter-tops and cut-out detailing at the waist. Lots of embroidered glitter and unfinished tasselled detailing on the hem looked interesting. Menswear had oversized jackets with patches of faux fur, overtly sequined shirts and extra baggy trousers. About her collection, Nikita Mhaisalkar said, “Tropical Times’ takes cues from my extensive travel to the Caribbean and Maldives. What you see before your eyes is my take on luxe vacation and resort wear”.
Tropical Times by Nikita Mhaisalkar
NACHIKET BARVE: Ephemera
National Award winner for film costume for the movie Tanhaji, Nachiket showcased a very modern collection that would be in demand in the forthcoming weeks and months as people are in the mood for celebrations, with Diwali parties, Christmas, New Year and destination weddings on the cards.
The collection had a lot of gowns in various styles. There were form-fitting columnar gowns, one-shoulder gowns with thigh-high slits and hybrid saree gowns. The gowns were intricately embellished with sequins, and appliquéd flowers created using upcycled fabrics and colourful beads. Nachiket used chiffon, velvet and soft silk for the beautiful collection.
Cocktail lehengas too showed up on the ramp in shades of red with ruffled dupattas. The floor-dusting lehengas were stunning. Midis paired with off shoulder bodices, pants-suits, jumpsuits and separates with high-neckline blouses and asymmetric skirts were all crafted for a glittering night out.
Ephemera by Nachiketa Barve
Nachiket Barve had this to say, “After two years of digital, I was delighted to celebrate this season with my festive cocktail couture and occasion wear collection ‘Ephemera’ that championed the Indian Craft. I feel you mark special moments in your life with clothes, and the collection aimed to bring that out.”
RAJESH PRATAP SINGH:
The curtains came down on the Lakme Fashion Week partnered with the Grand Finale show by the extremely talented designer Rajesh Pratap Singh.
The show was mesmerising. There was a live Opera performance to which seventy-odd-models walked in a fashion that was futuristic in essence but was crafted with traditional elements and traditional techniques. The aesthetics were heightened by exaggerated platform shoes and the models had their hair woven with optic-fibre strings that lit up.
Lakme X Rajesh Pratap Singh
The collection was mostly in black and white with lots of greys and a few ensembles in metallic hues. The tops had exaggerated shoulders and away-from-the-body shapes. Long skirts, flared pants, tunics, jumpsuits, sarees, cropped boleros, and military jackets ruled the ramp.
The khaki jackets coated with resin gave it a glistening look. The suture stitching details on them added character. Fabrics woven with iridescent metallic strings were used to tailor structured boleros, bolero with hoodies, the quintessential pleated Pratap jackets were beautiful as always and so were the long jackets tailored ingeniously that flared out below the waist.
Text By Jaydeep Ghosh
Image Courtesy: Rajesh Pratap Singh, Gaurav Gupta, Nachiketa Barve, Nikita Mhaisalkar.
Find out more about LFW:
