The bi-annual Lakme Fashion Week in partnership with the Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI) kicked off on the 10th of October with the Raw Mango show by designer Sanjay Garg. The fashion weeks in India have lately become season-agnostic. Some designers showcase the current autumn/winter 2023 collection and others opt for the spring/summer 2024 season. Usually, designers bring forth ready-to-wear lines but few opt for showing a diffusion line or what one may call ‘Luxury-Pret’.
RAW MANGO by SANJAY GARG
The label Raw Mango is strongly associated with designer sarees and the man at the helm of it, Sanjay Garg has made his name for weaving beautiful textiles. The show, titled —‘The Children of the Night’, was something dramatically new that Sanjay presented. It was a hybrid collection of traditional silhouettes blended with contemporary ones. There was an asymmetrical top that was draped and stitched to replicate a saree ‘pallu’ and paired with a draped brocade maxi skirt, a structured dress with knitted top stitched to a billowing skirt, and glittering sarees with tassel pallus and knitted blouse with unfinished edges. The collection was very ‘Zen’ -like with the cryptic play of drapes, texturization, and construction.
Sanjay pleasantly shocked us with the collection. The fusion of modern silhouettes with traditional wear, the enigmatic innovation in textiles like gleaming metallic woven into silk and brocade work that created the illusion of knitwear and the anti-fashion shapes that might not find favor with all surely made the opening show a talking post at the fashion week.
“Each garment in the collection includes elements of surprise woven with the DNA that roots us at Raw Mango. It was an evening of pure creative magic”, said Sanjay Garg.
GEISHA DESIGNS by PARAS & SHALINI
The ‘Profusion’ collection by Paras and Shalini was aimed to lure in clients looking for luxury resort wear or luxury occasion wear. The duo opted to go the glam way with crystallized embellishments, intricate embroidery, and beautiful construction. If Alaya looked dazzling in an embroidered bralette and sheer pants with strategically placed motifs, Saba Azad rocked in the oversized cropped jacket and tie-around flared pants.
The off-shoulder gown with juxtaposition of sheer and opaque interplay was apt for a cocktail night out. The delicate bead-work and very intricate embroidery of complicated motifs on sheer fabric show great finesse on the part of the designer duo, Shalini and Paras.
“The inspiration was the multitude of colors seen in crystallized stones. So, there was a palette of fuchsia, jade, aqua, blush, pale blue, deep blue, and lilac that was sprinkled through the collection”, stated Paras post the show.
ASHISH SONI
Ashish drew his inspiration from the 70s for his Autumn/Winter 2023 collection, titled ‘Retro Mania’. The look was very gender-neutral. He dressed the models in power-shoulder double-breasted jackets in colorful plaids. The trenches added a lot of style, and floral shirts worn underneath the jackets were reminiscent of the seventies style. Women in pants have always added an aura of power to women’s fashion. When paired with jackets with broad shoulders, cinched at the waist, they look ultra sexy too. Ashish not only styled his look as gender-neutral but constructed the women’s line from men’s silhouettes.
The double-breast jackets are making a huge comeback, and so are the trench coats. It’s a must for a winter wardrobe. And when it comes to construction and tailoring, Ashish Soni already enjoys a huge goodwill for immaculate finish. An emotional Soni said, “This has been a fun season for me. As someone who was born in the early 70s and was a child of that decade, I always felt like that decade did not have a profound impact on me in terms of fashion. But today I feel deep down I had a visual connection with the era and its elements that were all around me as a child. This collection is an ode to that connection.”
TARUN TAHILIANI
Tarun the undisputed maestro of drapes does it again with his ‘Luxury Pret 2023’ collection. Ensemble after ensemble appeared on the ramp, draped and stitched exquisitely. No wonder, big-ticket weddings make a bee-line to Tahiliani’s store and his atelier season after season. The collection was apt for big-fat Indian wedding wear for the families of the groom and the bride. The cocktail dresses will find their way on the red carpets. Tarun took to Madhubani art, Art Deco styles, and bold geometric prints to develop his motifs for print and embroidery. The collection also had a capsule of sequinned ensembles and creations embellished with metallic detailing that looked absolutely dazzling and very modern. Tones of iridescent rose gold, faded metallic to peacock teals, royal indigo, matte greys, and blacks made the collection glamorous and the luxe fabrics that the designer used made it opulent.
SAMANT CHAUHAN
Samant’s “Ice Watch’ collection was conceptualized from ice and glaciers. Undoubtedly, the collection was dominantly in shades of blue, white, and gray. What was eye-grabbing though were the silhouettes that were flowy, swirling, and long. A strong proponent of Bhagalpur silk, Samant extensively used the fabric along with organza and cotton silks.
In the collection, we saw Victorian influence in the form of the capes. Plenty of variants in necklines and deft tuck and fold techniques gave ensembles an artistic feel. Samant used dense bead-work, sequins, pin tucks, quilting, and thread embroidery to embellish and texture the garments, adding to the allure. “This collection is a manifestation of my
preoccupation with snow, and I hope the audience resonated with the messaging that I intended to showcase.”, added designer Samant Chauhan.
Text by Jaydeep Ghosh
Image Courtesy: Raw Mango, FDCI’s instagram , Geisha Designs, Ashish Soni, Train Tahiliani and Samant Chauhan.
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