It was a day of fashions ‘it’ girls and a celebration of Vogue’s Fashion Fund. Ranna Gill, Sanchita, Pia Pauro and Rina Dhaka all took the ramp – these girls live and breathe fashion and are their own best muses. They gave us lots of glam! But it was also a celebration of craft… Vogue’s Fashion Fund winner Pero, runner-up Payal Pratap and finalist Rahul Mishra ensured there was enough technique to please fashion critics. Here are today’s picks of the day and the shows that underwhelmed:
Beaded Booties By Pia Pauro
Pia Pauro’s resort hippie chic take on fashion has caught the eye of many a Delhi glam girl. But what caught me were here fully embellished boots. “Mountain Chic” was inspired by the prints of Uzebikistan and Kazakhastan.
Who knew Kilim Carpets could look so good on your feet rather than under them. Now instead of matching your shoes and bags (which by the way is passé) match the prints on your dress and boots, or lose the churidar and team your kurta with embellished boots instead.
Her boots caught my attention more than her clothes (and a couple had a very Missoni feel.)
Building Blocks by Anand Bhushan
Lego was his inspiration, and this known dog lover used his favoured pet as his motif. A conceptual show that had control, this young designer is growing up. Even his colour palette showed maturity as the gunpowder shades gradually moved to black.
Lego was used a clever surface ornamentation, and leather covered Swarovski showed Anand’s love for innovation. He kept his shapes easy to ensure that there was a between modernity and wearability. If he continues like this he is building himself as a designer to watch out for.
Metal Magic by Ranna
We have seen a lot of ikat, and it’s a textile I love but normally it is used by the more craft oriented designer. Ranna took ikat as an inspiration and added her boho glam take.
Though these were ikat prints, I never knew that this technique could be given a rock ‘n’ roll feel. Metal riveting details ensured this collection was about unapologetic glamour.
And one of her glittering gold capes is a must for girl who likes their bling! Called Molten Magic this is sure to be a hit with all the local fashionistas.
A lesson in styling by Pero
So the Vogue “Fashion Fund’s Night Out” started with their winner Aneeth Arora taking to the ramp. The ‘Circus’ was her inspiration, a theme that is easy to be excessive with. But as always Aneeth got it bang on.
Bow ties, colorful striped hosiery, hats, cowboy boots – Aneeth had a lot of fun with this show. Her colours were brighter than usual and her use of emerald green and purples added a new energy to her whimsical style. Though cable knits and jackets were easy to wear, other pieces were not.
She had lots of large checks and shapes as always were oversized but with peasant feel. You need real confidence and attitude to wear these clothes. Will these clothes translate from ramp to reality, I am not so sure.
Tops that matter by Payal Pratap
The runner up of Vogue’s Fashion Fund, she debuted at Wills India Fashion Week last season. As the wife of Rajesh Pratap Singh, expectations were high. She lived up to each one of them in this collection, Opening My Grandmother’s Trunk.
She took phulkari (the craft Manish Malhotra too favoured) and gave it an elegant chic look. The stars of her show were waistcoats and the jackets. Even kurtas and saris were teamed with her immaculately styled waistcoats.
Soft peplum touches added a feel of feminine finesse to her tailoring. Velvet Bandgala jackets with subtle embroidery and Bandgala dresess gave a regal icing to this outstanding collection. Now we girls can finally enjoy the bandgala as much as our men!
The unexpected underwhelmers
There were two designers who showed today who one expected a lot of – Shivan & Narresh and Rahul Mishra.
No one gets swimwear better than Shivan & Narresh as it takes a cutting expertise that few have. Their use of colour, and understanding of resort chic is established. But this collection called naïve lacked the pizzazz you expect from the duo.
Though it was great to see them shift from colour blocking to print, it lacked that “wow” factor. Perhaps we expect more oomph or maybe the fact that swimwear needs models far fitter than we currently have.
Vogue’s Fashion Fund finalist Rahul Mishra is a czar of craftsmanship. His clothes spell elegance, but this collection The Baroque Tree paled in comparison to his last few collections. He tried to be more urban, slick and pumped up in construction which overshadowed his fine workmanship.
See you at the Finale tonight!Pix by Surbhi Sethi for MissMalini