Katrina Kaif walks the ramp at the Lakme Fashion Week grand finale in March; (below) model Nina Manuel sports a Sabyasachi creation at LFW. Pictures by Pabitra Das

She’s a woman who does not conform to social pressures. She’s well-travelled and educated. She’s equally at ease at a small coffee shop in India or a big art gallery in New York. She’s a modernist and a classicist at the same time. She’s a study in contradiction. She’s the “global Indian woman” whose spirit will find expression in the creations of Sabyasachi Mukherjee this winter.

If the summer was all about she revelling in some happy hours by day and by night, the winter will celebrate the free spirit of the global Indian woman. After the success of the Happy Hours statement for summer 2006, cosmetic label Lakme unveiled its statement for the coming winter ? Free Spirit ? on Tuesday.

And while Happy Hours found expression through the flamboyant creations of design doyen Ritu Beri at the grand finale of Lakme Fashion Week (LFW) in Mumbai this March, Free Spirit will be interpreted by Sabyasachi, the designer who created quite a stir at the LFW last season.

Sabyasachi’s interpretation of the statement will be unveiled through his collection for the grand finale of LFW in Mumbai on November 4. The spring-summer edition of LFW will be held between October 30 and November 4. The theme will also find a place in the special line of make-up products from Lakme.

“I would describe the woman as an urban gypsy. She’s somewhat like Sharon Stone?” Sabyasachi told GoodLife from Mumbai.

The look Sabyasachi will put together will be stark in its simplicity sometimes and outrageously flamboyant at other times. “She is not a head-to-toe dresser; she transcends forecasts and creates her own look. She’s not a fashion victim and is not swayed by trends. She’s not dictated by any set rules and can wear anything she likes,” explained ‘Sabya’. The look will combine regional influences from various parts of the world.

“The woman we want to portray is very well-travelled. She is a global citizen and picks up influences from all over the globe and incorporates them in her dressing. Her style is totally individual, not dictated by any place or designer,” reiterated vice-president of Lakme Lever, Anil Chopra.

“The earlier Lakme statements were very physical. Be it Peppermint or Mosaic, all of them dealt with colours or textures. But with Happy Hours, we introduced statements that explore a state of mind. Free Spirit is a continuation of the same thought; it reflects a movement away from set rules of fashion. It talks about the importance of your own individual statement,” explained Anil.

Once the statement was decided, Sabyasachi was the obvious choice to give it expression, said Anil. “When I think of Free Spirit, the one designer that comes to mind is Sabyasachi; he personally embodies the spirit. His works reflect his own strong style, without conforming to any diktats.”

So, it’s time for Sabya and his free spirit to go roaming again.