(From top) Vintage French grandeur sets the tone for Varun Bahl’s line that’s abundant with velvet touches; JJ Valaya makes a strong statement with intricate zari work and embroidered detailing; Suneet Varma’s Kamasutra collection combines nude shades and zardozi patterns; Manish Malhotra’s glamorous net saris are influenced by the fashion of the pre-Partition era

Hollywood silhouettes and deeply Indian designs: flowy gowns and exquisitely worked upon saris. Going by the look books of India’s top designers, your 2011 Fall-Winter formal wardrobe should have it All. For, next season’s couture is firmly rooted in Bollywood glam, traditional gear and oh-so-contemporary ensembles.

Designers who strutted their stuff at the recently concluded Synergy1 Delhi Couture Week dressed their models in silhouettes that flowed, clung and draped. They liberally reworked traditional Indian styles and woven fabrics to satiate contemporary fashion tastes.

So, come winter and you can expect fashion stores to brim with ensembles that speak of Old World charm and have oodles of regal touches with roots in different eras around the world.

The whole nine yards of the sari will prevail (as opposed to the regular six), the lehengas will be cutting-edge sophisticated and the churidars, chic. Other wardrobe essentials will be western gowns, gracefully-cut jackets and long skirts. The colours palette will go from bold shades to pales as the inspirations range from the days of the Raj to the Elizabethan era.

So, is Indian couture on a roll? Designer Varun Bahl insists that it’s going places for sure. “For me, it’s a marriage of your signature with your fantasy and I don’t see it as a static concept,” he says.

The sari, according to veteran couturer Adarsh Gill, is epochal: “It’s the most beautiful dress in the world: sexy and feminine.” Indian couture is here to stay, she says firmly.

A TRYST WITH TRADITION

Suneet Varma’s Kamasutra collection is meant to seduce fashionistas with layer upon layer of crushed silk skirts in deep reds and Indian fuschias. Varma has managed to catch the essence of ethnicity with choli-cut waistcoats, long-sleeved sheer blouses and kamarbandhs — all embroidered with heavy zardozi.

Sensual saris embellished with mirrors and kundan work in dusky hues, sheer lehengas and anarkalis in pale nudes all give a young touch to the collection. Varma says: “This harking back to tradition is a huge awakening in India, specially for the younger generation.”

Like Gill, he too believes that there’s nothing sexier than the sari. “A flash and you can see the navel; another flash and you can see some cleavage. Clothes, if worn correctly, can make you feel sexy. Fashion is just a polite way of talking about sex,” he says wickedly. Which explains his choice of theme.

Rohit Bal has picked shanti or peace as the inspiration for his essentially traditional designs. He’s played with floral patterns embroidered on lehengas, saris and shararas and liberally used satin in his latest collection, pairing sexy, stringed blouses with full-length skirts embroidered with organza shreds and tatters.

The king of bling, JJ Valaya, too is making a strong ethnic statement with a colour palette that blazes with gold, fuchsia, red and copper, peacock blue and dark purple. His saris, with intricate zari borders, sequin work and semi-precious stone embroideries, are the stuff of couture as are the short bandhgala kurtas, which he pairs with churidars.

From full-bodied silhouettes to crystal trims crusted with embroidery, imperial gold detailing against delicate, custom-woven fabrics and tiered-short-over-long-flowy farshi ghararas (they sweep the floor as you walk), Valaya’s take on couture is ultra-rich and opulent.

NOT JUST STRAIGHT JACKETS

Jackets will rule your fancy winter wardrobe — and the designers have pulled out all the stops in creating them. They’ll go from regal to voluptuous, while always remaining elegant.

Valaya’s signature, ever-feminine Alika jackets rule his collection. The formally-cut and extremely versatile jacket has evolved into a separate entity that can be as easily coupled with formal trousers as with lehengas and saris. He’s also all for jackets with dramatic sleeves that can be paired with churidars. “I have worked on the Alika jackets in different variations this season,” he says.

Bal’s flowing, collared jackets for women — embossed with floral designs — can be paired with full-length skirts just like his one-button jackets and gathered lapel jackets (the lapel collar gathers in bunches around your neck).

On the other hand, for men, Bal’s designed well-cut velvet jackets to be worn over regular tees. Actor Arjun Rampal singed Bal’s ramp in one of these.

Meanwhile, Adarsh Gill, the global designer who started her career in America before making her India debut a few years ago, will ring in winter with beaded jackets that can be teamed with cigarette pants. They’ve been enhanced with shimmer, stones and Swarovski.

This may have been Gill’s debut at Couture Week but she’s an old hand at couture, designing for Hollywood celebrities and owning flagship stores in New York and Paris.

(Left) Shantanu and Nikhil combine satins and soft nets in their vintage line; (Right) Adarsh Gill marries Hollywood silhouettes and hand-knitted detailing

(Top) Rohit Bal’s designs for men come with velvet hems and detailed embroidery; (Above) Gaurav Gupta has worked in pleats and drapes on chiffon in his couture line

IT’S A GUY THING

Bal will spoil guys rotten with his new collection: there are intricately detailed sherwanis, overcoats and bandhgalas with velvet hems and floral embroidery. His one-buttoned jackets and gathered lapel jackets must be worn with tapered trousers as well as brogues.

Meanwhile Mumbai-designer Manish Malhotra’s colour story for menswear this winter will be a combination of black, burgundy, royal blue, beige and gold. The flowing bandhgalas with pyjamas and stoles to match can be teamed with churidars. Malhotra is also indulging men with custom-designed jootis to go along with them.

Designer duo Shantanu and Nikhil too are working towards creating a men’s line for the Fall-Winter Men’s Fashion Week in Delhi slated for September. “We’re creating a men’s cocktail line for the season and are looking to open stand alone retail outlets for men as well,” he says.

Men can also look forward to Bahl’s new collection under his label, Karan Johar-Varun Bahl.

CONTEMPORARY CATWALK

Making a distinct contemporary statement are designers Gaurav Gupta and Gill who seem to favour global designs.

Gaurav Gupta’s couture line is replete with gowns crafted in lush fabrics like chiffons, nets and French laces. He’s worked pleats and drapes into his creations to bring a sense of fluidity and softness into them. “My collection revolves around realism and surrealism. I’ve been influenced by art movements like Art Deco and the Baroque style and it all comes together as one fantasy,” says Gupta.

Meanwhile, Gill has chosen to refine her couture collection with jewelled hues, marrying contemporary dressing to romantic edginess in her collection, Walking On The Ritz — which stands for walking the high street of fashion. “It’s very luxurious and has a lot of Hollywood silhouettes. I’ve used gowns as well as saris and lehengas to strike a balance between Indian and Western couture,” says Gill. Her repertoire has a vast spectrum: sari, fitted evening gowns, formal dresses and beaded jackets (to be worn with the gowns) — in short, everything.

Her newest couture line is offering luxurious fabrics like taffeta, lace, chiffon, brocade and georgette in both bright and pale hues. She’s enhanced their look with zardozi and hand-knitting.

(Left) Shantanu and Nikhil combine satins and soft nets in their vintage line; (Right) Adarsh Gill marries Hollywood silhouettes and hand-knitted detailing

FOR BOLLYWOOD BUFFS

Try a bit of Bollywood glam in your wardrobe this time. Taking contemporary to another level and combining it with an unmistakeably Bollywood theme are designers Manav Gangwani and Malhotra.

Gangwani has given his sensual gowns detailed yet delicate embroidery. He’s used gold dust shimmer, georgette, chiffon, patterned brocade, silk velvet, lace and duchess satin to design the gowns and then contour them with gota work. An international look is clearly visible — along with the Swarovski that he’s used liberally.

Malhotra, Bollywood’s favourite designer, has net saris, jamdani lehengas, shararas, ghararas and anarkalis with multiple zari borders, all set in the pre-Partition era when British colours set the tone for Indian royalty’s fashion. “I’m quite for the Indian glamorous look,” he says.

VINTAGE IN YOUR WARDROBE

The designers have also gone heavy on vintage chic in their winter couture lines. Shantanu and Nikhil’s collection, Perfume, brings back memories of the Elizabethan era. The gowns are an ode to the modern woman and the duo has combined contemporary designs and vintage royalty to create a mixed canvas.

“The modern bride wants a fairytale wedding in a modern setting. So we concentrate on cocktail dresses. Perfume is based on the premise that everything around the bride smells good. The clothes depict her aspirations,” says Shantanu.

The duo has used a lot of signature drapes and pin-tucks draping techniques from the 1950s. “The bride we have envisaged enjoys luxury. Couple this with vintage elements,” he adds. Fluid fabrics in vintage chocolate, soft pinks, dusty oranges, pale whites and aqua blue rule their look.

Marie Antoinette, the 18th century French queen, has inspired yet another designer’s collection. While controversies surround her life — who has gone down history as a fashion icon — there’s nothing controversial about Bahl’s new line.

He says: “I try and marry Indian wear with vintage styles from other cultures and in the past it has been Japanese and Russian touches. This time I’ve chosen Marie Antoinette because I recently saw a movie on her and loved the colour, the grandeur and French heritage.”

In Bahl’s Fall-Winter designs, he’s gone for his favourite material — velvet — in abundance along with chiffons and satins in his bridal wear. Anarkalis, jackets, farshi-pyjamas and saris ooze with French vintage elegance. “I love velvet, its richness and weight. There’s a lot you can do with it, even if you just use it as a border,” he says.

Photographs by Rupinder Sharma