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Black and bold The colour palettes at the WIFW are likely to tilt towards the darker shades

Matching a season’s pre-requisites with buyer demands and yet staying rooted to domestic realities is a dicey game.

“It is a tightrope walk. It is important to set a balance,” says designer Payal Jain.

But well, when the ramps light up, everything takes a back seat. The pomp, shimmer and glamour sweep across and the show and personalities take over. The Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week Autumn/Winter 2008 will come alive at the Pragati Maidan once again from Wednesday. The Fashion Design Council of India has persisted with the venue after Spring/Summer 07, but Director General Rathi Vinay Jha refuses to see it as a move to make it a permanent location.

“We have to make the best of what we have. Pragati Maidan has been booked for three fashion weeks after this,” says Jha, adding that sticking to the venue depends on its availability.

Designers like FDCI President Ashish Soni are excited about showcasing at the venue for the first time. He is among the many heavyweights who gave the last WIFW a miss. The big names are back on the ramp this time, be it J.J Valaya, Suneet Varma, Ritu Kumar or Manish Arora. Veterans like Tarun Tahiliani, Rohit Bal, Rina Dhaka and Rajesh Pratap Singh are among the 60 designers who will have models catwalk in their creations. A few debutants at the last show are among the 84 designers who are part of the WIFW now. Going by their “gut-feeling” Lecoanet Hemant, who kept away from WIFW earlier, make their debut.

If the venue was the topic of discussion last time, it is FDCI’s decision to divide designers into heritage/synthesis, contemporary and creator categories, that is debated upon at Autumn/Winter 08. The designers are divided about the impact of this categorisation. While some vouch it will aid buyers and designers, other agree the confusion will take a while to settle.

“The categories will help buyers make their choice, especially those who are not familiar with the Indian market,” says Manish Arora. It will aid them to zero in on their specific demands, he adds. While the move is considered buyer-centric, Soni points out it will help the layman. The shows are scheduled to put designers working under a category together.

“It will assist the buyers, but will also make trend-spotting easier for the layman and the media,” says Soni. The move will streamline designers too, feels Payal. “It will prevent designers from showing everything from casual to fusion to contemporary. It brings in rationality as you can directly target the intended market,” says Payal.

A few like, youngster Abhijeet Khanna, found making a choice difficult as his creations blurred the creative and contemporary categories.

Veteran Rina Dhaka says, “It was a little confusing for me, but I will be more sorted out by the next season.”

However, the organisational aspects aside, the event is also meant to throw in a few trends for the coming winter. The colour palettes, as expected for fall, are meant to tilt towards the darker shades, with blacks, browns and greys considered in. The appearance will be more built-up, with turtle necks, tapering trousers, capes and hoods. Accessories, be it boots or bags, are also expected to be big. A few designers vouch despite it being a fall collection, the stress will be on a comfortable and smart look, with lighter garments and less accessories or embroidery on the outfits.

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