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The ramp-age ends!

Photos: Rajeev Bhatt

Star appeal Leading designers continue to be bewitched by the Bollywood charisma. Here is Lara Dutta (left) and Shilpa Shetty walking the ramp for Rocky S and Tarun Tahiliani.

Five days of fashion, funk and flutter later, Hall 7 of Pragati Maidan will go back to its empty look. The venue grappled with its new “fashion hub” identity over the past five days. As the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week folded up on Sunday night with a fitting finale by the legendary Rohit Bal, it was curtains down on fashion action.

Amidst throbbing music, high security, a smattering of celebrities and the media frenzy, it was business as usual at the 10th edition of WIFW, with some flicker and promise on the ramps and quiet deals at the stalls.

The agenda for debate was charted out early – the new venue, clash of schedule with New York Fashion Week and finally the business. As usual, a consensus was not easy to come by.

As the WIFW for the first time moved out of the cocooned star hotels to a more “people’s place” there was the usual share of approval and apprehensions.

“This place has a certain togetherness to it,” designer J.J. Valaya was cryptic. Busy with international assignments, he gave the WIFW a miss this year, but attended Shantanu and Nikhil’s show.

Dismissing the idea that Pragati Maidan is not glitzy enough for fashion, designer Raghavendra Rathore called it “a matter of perceptions.”

“I voted for this venue and I am happy about it. The place brings business to focus,” he said. But not everyone echoed his stance, especially the buyers.

“The process of coming in and getting out of the venue is very complicated. It’s not a great place to have the fashion week,” said Sophia of Hot Pinks Shop.

But Rathi Vinay Jha, Director General of the Fashion Design Council of India, saw it differently. “I think things have improved a lot. Any new venue is about getting used to it,” she said.

As for business, “Know thy market” seemed the mantra, as Indian fashion took yet another look at being ethnic. As expected, the opening act by Rajesh Pratap Singh was impressive. He ushered in Spring Summer with a flurry of outfits in white sprinkled with bright colours. Whites took over the ramp quite literally after that.

Payal Jain went back in time to create tunics, dresses and skirts inspired by the costumes of the 19th Century. Shantanu and Nikhil found the palettes of Banaras irresistible.

Veteran Tarun Tahiliani added to the drama as his show began with the national anthem. Tahiliani showed why he is the master when it comes to drapes through his dhoti inspired skirts and georgette saris. Adding to the star quotient on the ramp were Shilpa Shetty and Lara Dutta.

There were quite a few finds too. Debutants Prashant Verma and Abhijeet Khanna impressed many. One would have thought Prashant’s idea of making dresses with his portraits on them was juvenile. But it went down well with the observers.

“It may be a little cocky. But I liked it. He showed that he is not insecure,” said Sunil Sethi of Alliance Merchandising Company. While Tahiliani impressed many with the visual splendour quite a few thought Monisha Jaising showcased a creative collection. The WIFW also saw some innovative clothing on the ramps. Anita Dongre showcased her collection made from organic cotton and vegetable dyes. The frill-free collection mostly in off-white and pastels stood out for its simplicity.

Though no real trend seemed to emerge even after the first three days, the tilt seemed towards the ethnic. “I saw a lot of Banarasi and cut work on the clothes this time. Somehow I felt it was going ethnic,” said Sethi.

Kiichiro Motoyama of Sun Motoyama from Japan agreed. The buyer who has been part of all the WIFW’s was somehow unimpressed this year.

“I thought the collections this time were oriented towards the local market. Most of it was very ethnic,” he said. Motoyama has bought only from Tarun Tahiliani and Rohit Gandhi and Rahul Khanna. “Tarun is a brand in Japan and Cue ( Gandhi and Khanna’s collection) was good,” he explained. According to him, Indian designers were experimenting too much on design and that doesn’t augur well. But there was no mistaking that the action was at the stalls.

“There is no second round in fashion,” Rina Dhaka was heard telling a buyer as he considered taking a round of the stalls before looking at her collection. As designers held closed door meetings with buyers, one could see that the clash with the New York Fashion Week had done harm.

The major international buyers, be it Bloomingdale, Harrods, Browns or Saks, were missing and some like upcoming designer Zubair Kirmani blamed it on the timing. Zubair meanwhile, managed to impress the visiting representatives from the Madrid Fashion Week. Though Modesto Loma of the Madrid delegation was impressed by a few collections, it remains to be seen if any of it will transcend to invitations to Madrid. “It is not a question of being impressed. It’s a question of business. Merely invitations won’t do. It is not about one collection, but being ready with a good follow-up and making an impact,” he explained.

Or is the message that Indian fashion has still some way to go?

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