It was a tribute to Bhagalpur silk with Bollywood star Manoj Bajpayee doing the honours by adding oodles of masala, as Samant Chauhan showed his eclectic line complete with floor sweeping silhouettes on the second day of the WIFW at Pragati Maidan. Oranges rubbed shoulders with whites and these beauties came pleated at the bodice or with interesting lowers, with patchwork added in a good measure to rev up the look. As little pearls encrusted yolks and churi sleeves made a fine play, the stunner was the plain black sari with a gotta border that Nethra Raghuraman carried to perfection.
Ombre dying seemed to gave curried much favour this year, as muddy coloured silhouettes dominated the colour palette, except a few pieces like the a blood red full flared silver thread embroidered skirt. There was menswear too, with long cream coloured, flared robe-like ensembles making a statement on the ramp, and then to spice things up a bit Manoj did the needful with aviators, a golden dagger and skinny pants with a military style coat!
The star quotient varies from designer to designer, some prefer a Bollywood presence while others like to make ordinary things like metals, the star of their show, just what Kanika Saluja of the label Anaikka did, and gave a whole new meaning to it. After all, she has dressed international sparklers like Ashanti, Rihanna and even Paris Hilton. Inspired by architectural shapes, she started with mellow yellow, with no embellishments and slowly moved on to emerald greens, baby pinks with brown pencil skirts, quilted on the sides with military detailing taking centerstage. Her love for the rawness of machinery and gadgets could be seen in the metal studded golden clutches. It was a winning combo as the harshness of metal subdued the femininity of the shapes she beautifully constructed with her metal mohawk turning out to be the show stealer.
Dressed in all black, proud mom and designer Anju Modi quietly glided into see her sons show, and Priyanka and Ankur of AM:PM didnt let her down. The ramp may have been set as a maze, but understanding the collection wasnt one as clean, sharply cut wrap and shirt dresses made an instant impression on you. It was check, mate and win for the duo as they ingeniously played with checks in monochromes without a hint of embroidery. Ease seemed to be the mantra as draped tops in satin and light organza flared pants made quite an impression. Ruffle, pleats, Mandarin collars, layering were small touches that made a big impact.
And the game of checks was carried on by Dev r Nil, but they decided to team up checks with little fingerprint hearts in blacks and whites. Sequinned backs in long tunics, restrained mirror work dresses with peak-a-boo lace inners, prints deliberately clashing with mismatched prints made a warm combo.
The swish set wasnt missing in action as Kavita Bhartias show saw HT Medias Shobhana Bhartia, showing support to her sis-in-law, Shalini Passi dressed in a lime yellow top, Seema Jajodia, Naveen Jindals sister, turning up to give the designer a heads up. Neon made a splash on a white canvas of tunic dresses, and Indian crafts got a full representation with a generous dose of embroidery, tie and dye, dip dying, dexterous paneling and ombre as ponchos, simple A-line kurtas, jumpsuits, asymmetrical satin tops paved the way for cross stitches and punchy greens.
They say when you are young, you are more open and keen on experimentation, as you have no baggage of the past and no signature look to carry forward. When four emerging designers started the second day at WIFW, they knew they had to leave a lasting picture. So Surabhi Chauhan gave the white shirt a new avatar with Kutchi embroidered belts cinching the waist with multi-coloured threads and mirror work collars, and then she placed zari motifs on fitted dresses in teal and restricted embroidery to just the yolks or borders of skinny pants. While Khushi Shah of the label KhushiZ, just 24, made prints the hero of her show, with refreshing yellows merging into purples and blues on beachy dresses with halters necks, pleated collars and net backs creating synergy with her love for making a rainbow of hues.
Peplum wasnt forgotten as Tania Khanuja worked it in her favour along with shimmering, transparent tights, fully beaded dresses, and Kashmiri embroidery added a floral twist to her glam body accentuating dresses.
A little help from Cocktail star the petite Diana Penty got newbie Sakshee Pradhan a leg up, as her no embroidery rule let her focus on cutwork, lace sleeves and the luxe hue champagne with a smattering of sequins. Plus, actress-turned politician Vani Tripathi was seen on the front row making sure she gave Sakshi moral support off the ramp.
Master of minimalism Rajesh Pratap Singh did what he does best, steadfastly slip in and out and leave everyone wanting more! His exaggerated shoulders, came with padding on dresses with backs showing the backbone constructed in steel. Cowl backs, pleated bodices and silver and gold draped dresses was the only bright spot in his collection. Hi-waisted skirts, worn with cropped tops, cutwork, appliqué making subtle entries throughout the show, revealed his love for perfection as each fringe on his dress stood upright, as if it had an identity of its own.