Manish Malhotra

Isn’t it nice when spring is in the air and the freshness of winter mingles with the gentle warmth of the coming summer? OK, spring’s still a long way off. But there are times when it suddenly seems closer — like when models are swishing down the ramp in cheery spring-summery colours.

So, there was a distinctly out-of-season feel as the models showcased the colours of spring at the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week showcased a new wardrobe for spring 2006-07. More than 40 designers had the models strutting their stuff on the ramp as the socialites and followers of fashion looked on.

What’s looking hot in the coming months? The answer is dresses, dresses and more dresses. Some had Greek goddess touches (the draped, one-shoulder and ruched look). And a childlike innocence and romance were highlights. Bling and loud colours were out as was the structured silhouette and the jewelled look. But there were some trends which have carried on from last season such as the bubble skirts, pearl embroidery, lace and crochet trimmings and shrugs. So if you want to borrow trends from our designers’ stylebooks, here’s some hot off the runway.

Nature’s rhymes

Gauri & Nainika

Cows, dogs, cats, rainbows, crashing waves, meandering rivers, flowers and fairies — basically anything nature-inspired was Big going by the collections of Anamika Khanna, Shantanu & Nikhil, Manish Arora, J J Valaya, Geisha Designs, Ashish Soni and Rina Dhaka. Arora as well as Shantanu and Nikhil recreated a forest-like paradise, though in distinctly individual ways. Arora stuck by his forte — colours — and had embroidered, printed, cut-worked and appliquéd all the natural elements. Shantanu & Nikhil used flowery geo prints (geometric prints) extensively on muted hues. Interestingly called The Botanist, Anamika Khanna had old floral block embroidery in her collection, which according to her is ‘fragile touch-me-nots with attitude’. Valaya’s inspiration was the great natural beauty of Albania and Soni’s, the Sirocco, the winds that form in the Sahara and blow across the Mediterranean region. All in all, Mother Nature saw quite a few interpretations.

Kissed by pastels

Manish Arora

A rainbow of pastels took over the ramp as designers decided that soft subtle shades would set the trend for the upcoming season. So it was a relaxed and casual look kissed with charming cognacs, old roses, muted greens, pale pinks and lilacs and peach blushes. Varun Bahl played with his usual favourites of muted mossy greens and pale lilacs, while Rocky S designed dreamy dresses in pale pinks, greens and peaches. Nude tones of beiges, ivories, golds and creams were popular with Manish Malhotra, Shantanu & Nikhil, Rohit Bal and Monapali.

Big and billowy

That’s how the silhouettes go for the tops — a look that goes perfectly with the trend of wearing skinny pants and that is in vogue even internationally. Designers who played with volume include Rocky S, Varun Bahl and Ashish Soni. Going along with the voluminous look were blouson sleeves (billowy sleeves). The result? A very girly look. Rocky S used them for his chiffon dresses and Anita Dongre put short blouson sleeves on her Jackie -inspired evening dresses. Going with the summery feel, the silhouettes were fluid with the draped look in the collections of Tarun Tahiliani, Gauri & Nainika, Rocky S, Manish Malhotra, Anamika Khanna and Ranna Gill.

Sassily short

Rina Dhaka

Hot pants, true to their name, are hot. Lots of sauciness, attitude — and legs — are the way to go with these short shorts. Manish Arora added sass to the ‘70s rage with pearls, while Rina Dhaka featured them in her collection in beige gold and feel-good colours. J J Valaya designed them too in purple prints. Of the longer variety, there were some nice shorts by Gauri & Nainika, Ashish Soni and Namrata Joshipura. Gauri & Nainika’s choice of the Girl from Ipanema song by Frank Sinatra as their theme best summed up the leggy look — “Tall and tan and young and lovely/ The girl from Ipanema goes walking/ And when she passes, each one she passes goes — ah...”

Daddy long legs

The story of leggings started with the craze for fitness and aerobics. Since then, they’ve not been merely running tights, but something that can be flaunted with any outfit. Take a cue from Manish Arora who paired knee-length leggings with baby doll dresses and Namrata Joshipura who added bright coloured ones to jazz up her feminine outfits. J J Valaya’s satin Lycra leggings look best with short wrap skirts. The cotton stretch leggings of Anamika Khanna were embroidered at the ankles with botanical prints.

Cutting edge

Rajesh Pratap Singh

The old embroidery technique of cutwork dating back to the Renaissance has been used by Rajesh Pratap Singh, Manish Arora and Deepika Gehani to full effect. The intriguing “see through” effect of cutwork is, says Rajesh Pratap Singh, imperative to a spring-summer feel. The textured look that cutwork gives to the fabric is interesting as such and a lining of contrasting fabric can add a variation to the outfit.

Traditional elegance

While we might be edging towards western silhouettes for effortless clothing, there’s the beauty of our traditional prints to add to the contemporary look. Ikat, the Indian version of the geometric look was the leitmotif for Ranna Gill and Deepika Govind. Gill’s silk jersey dresses also boasted the Central Asian Abr Bandi prints. Govind’s collection was a tale told in ikat and muga silk. The other designers who tried out the traditional look: Suneet Varma had interesting tie and dye saris, Rohit Bal worked extensively with Chanderi and Monapali had some lovely kantha work on harem pants. The Japanese Shibori technique was used by both Bal and Shantanu & Nikhil in their kimono style outfits.

Rohit Bal

Bold and chunky

Big gogo glasses, big bags, big bangles and floppy sunhats set the trend in accessories. Gauri & Nainika set the holiday mood with their chunky glasses and wide brimmed sunhats. Meanwhile Rina Dhaka had interesting turbans to go with her dresses. The bags came in different looks — bright neon colours by Manish Arora, beiges and golds by Shantanu & Nikhil and pastels by Manish Malhotra. But yes, they were all big.

THOSE WHO THRILLED AND THOSE WHO TANKED

While some designers created a bang, there were the occasional whimpers. Take a look:

Manish Arora: We loved the use of badges, cutwork and appliqué on the dresses. Isabella Blow, former fashion director with The Tatler, however, found the fit of the dresses wanting. According to her, Arora needed a pattern cutter.

Rohit Gandhi & Rahul Khanna went Dutch this time. Inspired by Dutch dolls and old porcelain sets, their collection titled Innocence Regained was one of the best with frocks set in clean, romantic lines.

Varun Bahl wanted to take the mask off people lying about their age. So he made 40 the new 30 through his collection titled Middle Age. He calls his silhouettes ‘weird’ but they went down very well with us, especially the chattai dress and the pin-tucked shirts for men. Others in the audience liked the line too for Bahl has been invited to showcase his designs at the upcoming Milan Fashion Week.

Rookie designer Gaurav Gupta has just had his second season at the Fashion Week and yet managed to raise eyebrows with his magical use of draping techniques.

Rajesh Pratap Singh has let go of his blacks and whites to try out some colour. So there were shimmery sheaths adorned with neon flowers with a touch of ‘50s glamour.
lAt Gauri & Nainika’s unveiling, the music of Frank Sinatra teamed with flowy silhouettes, nautical prints, cool summer shorts, gogo glasses, polka dot prints and wide-brimmed sun hats almost took one on a Mediterranean cruise. The polka dots though were a repeat from last season.

As for Manav Gangwani, the less said, the better. His Garden of Eden collection was accessorised with awful hoops and ghastly colours. Our verdict: going chameli was not a good choice!

Falguni & Shane Peacock’s creations had animal prints along with bling galore. This show came in a package with Gangwani’s. It was a tough call deciding which put us off more.

Photographs by Rupinder Sharma and Jagan Negi