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Just got bigger and better

PHOTO: SHIV KUMAR PUSHPAKAR

Fashion extravaganza A preview of Rohit Bal’s line for the grand finale

The 14th edition of the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week (WIFW), which began on Saturday, October 24, at Pragati Maidan, Delhi, promises to be bigger in many ways – in terms of the number of designers participating and shows as well as the co ming back of several prodigal sons and daughters.

Wendell Rodricks and Narendra Kumar, regulars at Mumbai’s Lakme Fashion Week, also showcase at the WIFW this time.

“I think it is time to consolidate all our talents in one place so that everybody benefits from it,” said Kumar on the reason behind his participation.

Wendell Rodricks has a more simple logic. “I didn’t have a good retail presence in Delhi since the past few years. I’m opening a store in Delhi next month, so taking part in the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week makes commercial sense, which is my top priority right now,” he explained.

Ritu Beri and Suneet Verma return to WIFW after a gap of several years – Beri comes back after a decade, while Verma returns after two seasons, as the Fiama di Wills designer. Rohit Bal and Tarun Tahiliani, both of whom have been participating in the Delhi Fashion Week the last two seasons, return to WIFW this year.

On the whole, the fashion week will see 18 solo and 20 multi-designer shows. “We’re a rather strong contingent this year, with the coming of several designers earlier associated with other fashion events in the country,” said Sunil Sethi, president, Fashion Design Council of India, the body which organises the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week.

Rohit Bal is this year’s grand finale designer, presenting a tribute to the ‘Golden Peacock’ and revisiting his 19-year-old journey in fashion design. His Mughal-inspired collection, titled “Yasas”, makes use of age-old techniques of embroidery on fabrics like velvet and mulmul, Benarasi, Chanderi and silk fom the South.

Among the debutants at WIFW this year are Aslam Khan, Jaya Rathore, Nalandda Bhandari, Nimirta Lalwani, the much-anticipated Rahul Mishra (who was noticed for his reversible and seamless dresses in the past), Tanvi Kedia, Vineet Bahl and label Pashma. Nida Mahmood, who put up quite a memorable show at the Fall/Winter 2009 show in March with her ‘High on Chai’ collection – where the ramp was turned into a street with balloon-wallahs, pani-puri-wallahs, et al, and where models even sported kettles on their heads – this time comes back with her Bollywood-inspired collection that hinges on poster art.

Dialogues and portraits from films like “Don”, “Sholay”, “Deewar” and “Amar Akbar Anthony” form the theme.

“I love these films. And I love Amitabh Bachchan!” said Nida at a preview recently.

Watch out for the Gabbar jackets.

Among the accessory labels are Shalini Arts, Meera Mahadevia, Amrapali by Rajiv Arora and Rajesh Ajmera, Art Apparel and Accessories by Shelina and Camelia, Malaga by Malini Agarwalla and Basta by Peachy and Ajay Bawa. While a total of 69 designers will be strutting their stuff on the ramp, 113 stalls will be set up over the course of the five-day event.

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