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Fashion flurry

As the countdown for the country's annual fashion jamboree begins, T. KRITHIKA REDDY talks to designers about seams, silhouettes and soft sell

Feminine look is in A creation by Rocky S

The spotlight will soon be turned on the catwalk. It will be a fortnight of hype about the hip. As the great Indian fashion jamboree is all set to open at Mumbai (Lakme Fashion Week on March 28) and New Delhi (Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week on April 5), designers are frenetically giving finishing touches to their looks for Fall/Winter 2006, while we are still preparing for our summer wardrobes! But that's what fashion weeks are about — fashion forwardness.

Will the hemline rise? Will the neckline plunge deeper? Will Empire waistlines rule? Will skirts continue to swirl? Is feminine fashionable? Is volume out? There are questions and more questions. Not just on the fashion front. This being the first time that two Weeks are being held, will it be a logistic nightmare from the trade point of view? Will it leave the buyers confused? Are the designers well distributed to attract a fair number of buyers to both the shows? Do shows translate into sales?

Says Rocky S, celebrity designer, "Two fashion weeks, in my opinion, isn't the best thing to have happened to our industry. First, because it confuses the international buyers to some extent. All buyers cannot be present at both the events. Ultimately, the designers will suffer. Second, the fashion industry is fast growing, but still not completely established. So is it wise to create a distribution of this sort? The designers are distributed according to convenience of place."

For designer Namratha Joshipura, "Two shows mean opportunity for more designers to showcase their creativity. And such opportunities will naturally open up sales avenues. I'm talking from my personal experience. This is my third year of participation in the annual event." "True," asserts design duo Falguni and Shane Peacock. "Behind the glitz and glamour is hardcore business. These shows undoubtedly bring serious buyers to India over and over again. Two shows mean more business."

Says designer Rana Gill, "The fact that the Fashion Week has split is unfortunate. But I don't see why we have to feel insecure. There is opportunity for everyone and let's wish each other good luck."

The inspiration

Business apart, coming to the inspiration, the fashion weeks will see designers spurred by anything from the Pushkar Mela (Niki Mahajan) and Lovely Lolitas (Rocky) to Cosmic Romance (Sonam Dubal). Manish Malhotra describes his line enigmatically, "It comes from pure inspiration. It will be feminine and sensuous. It will be something that's not been seen before."

Talk about having an eccentric edge and Namratha's collections ring a bell. "It's called `Nervous Splendour'," gushes the designer. "It's about overlapping reality. As we move forward, we are losing touch with culture. It's a dark, unconventional line with loving attention to detail."

Falguni and Shane have worked on a "Vintage-romantic line with subtle and subdued colours," while Ashish Pandey's is a "Fusion of embroidery with cleaner and more feminine forms. The embroidery patterns draw inspiration from across the globe." Rocky's Lovely Lolitas are "About being prim and proper. It's quite a dolled up look that's innocent, yet sexy. The feel is softly opulent."

Most designers seem to agree that soft, feminine silhouettes are hot. Says Ashish, "The key word this year is feminine clothing. It's more on the European style of dressing. There will be more dresses of varied lengths." Rocky too agrees, "Yes, feminine with a bold edge to it." Add Falguni and Shane, "Feminine, romantic, yet understated and confident." Says Rana, whose line is called "Elizabeth", "It's Victorian-inspired, but thoroughly modern. I will be showing a lot of knee-length dresses. They are in. There will be both day and cocktail dresses." So will the dress push the skirt to oblivion? "No," the designers chorus. "The skirt will continue to hold sway. But we will not be seeing the billowing type. It will be short and structured."

As the discussion about seams and silhouettes continues, one thing is clear — in the quick sands of the fashion world, the only constant feature is change!

The Chennai interlude

Chennai's top-notch designer Rehane's will be the last show in the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week in New Delhi. In true Rehane style, she says, "The best is always reserved for the last."

The designer will present two contrasting lines — one, thoroughly flamboyant like the persona, and the other, a blink-and-you-miss-it kind of understated collection. "There will be a lot of colour and over-the-top cuts in the first line that's inspired by the Far East. The second is out and out for the New York market. There will be lots of tops, trousers and dresses. The colours are spice-based and the waistline nipped-in. In fact, the waistline is the essence of the second line. It's about unforgiving silhouettes made for people who spend time on workouts. It's a linear, severe look with watered down sensuality."

Talk about innovation and Rehane discloses, "Nothing stays still in fashion. You have to keep on reinventing yourself. I've done sarong kurtas. Imagine slipping into a kurta and tying it up like a sarong! The motifs I've used are romantic, not ethnic."

Ask her about the fashion week divide and she replies, "There are undoubtedly more openings for designers. But it's sad if one is at the cost of the other. At least the Weeks should be divided in such a way that one shows high fashion and the other focuses on prêt. Then buyers are clear about where to go. Why fight for the same piece of meat?"

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