Vasundhara Mantri surprises all with flower-inspired show

The bi-annual Lakmé Fashion Week 2017, which began on August 16 in Mumbai, was the perfect answer to all fashion lovers who were still withdrawing from the success of Indian Couture Week, 2017. The five-day fashion festival, being held at St. Regis in Lower Parel, Mumbai, saw the arrival of well-dressed celebrities and fashionistas from around the country wearing their favourite designers in solidarity and stopping for pictures on the way. The first day itself ensured that the week was going to be filled with creativity, glamour, and of course, Bollywood.

The week began with the Gen Next show, which showcased the works of rising designers in the country. The show has long served as a great platform for talented designers looking for greater exposure and recognition. The day progressed with Rara Avis by Sonal Verma. The collection, called ‘Colandar’, used techniques of layering and colour blocking with traditional attire like the Kimono and trenches. The designer showed creativity by using a mix of materials such as fur, wool, leather etc while maintaining a feminine touch. The next show 431-88 by Shweta Kapur saw her play to her strengths. She had created an edgy collection with dark autumn colours and heavyweight fabrics.

Ritu Kumar’s show added a pop of colour to the Autumn/Winter theme of the week. She used skirts, corsets like bodice and a flood of tropical prints like palm leaves, pineapples etc. Actress Disha Patani was the showstopper for the show. Nakita Singh’s show brought back the warmth to the day with her collection. The show seemed to explore the floral trend while playing with earthy tones like browns, greys, blacks etc. Her designs were an interesting take on winter clothing, and showed that floral prints aren’t guided by season.

The Meraki Project made use of pretty much all the colours of the rainbow. The embroidery and tones used were almost nostalgic of childhood. However, the playfulness of the collection was balanced out by fabrics liked textured and crushed silk which lent the designs their necessary glamour. The day ended with Masaba by Masaba Gupta, and Raw Mango by Sanjay Garg. Masaba did not fail to impress with her collection which comprised of emerald, fuschia and powder blue coloured lehengas and sarees. She emphasised tribal and Warli inspired embroideries, and added a touch of the west to the collection by using corsets. Garg’s collection, Cloud People, used chikankari on Bengal mul, zardozi and hand-woven brocade. The motifs, prints and silhouettes together gave an angelic vibe to the collection.

The second day was the Sustainable Fashion Day. An attempt to sensitise the people about the environmental consequences of fashion as well to protect and promote the handicrafts and crafts persons of the country, the day was added some gravity to the frivolous image of fashion. The #CraftIsCool show by Paramparik Karigar combined the works of 5 craftsmen with 5 designers and presented a collection of traditional crafts. Matr Bihar Khadi x Kopal New York Because of Nature Australia, and #RestartFashion shed light on causes like losing traditions and heritage, and the unlimited fashion prospects upcycling provides. The Ethicus show was a presentation of easy to wear, organic and eco friendly cotton wear. Sunita Shankar’s collction was an effortless manifestation of the belief that crafts like bandhani, kantha, Benarasi weaves, Chanderi and bagh prints, all from different parts of the country can easily be incorporated into daily wear. The show by Craftmark by AIACA was an interesting and interactive presentation of garments made by women artisans from Punjab, Uttarakhand and Karnataka. Anavila Mishra’s show ended the day on the correct note as she payed homage to the weavers of the country. The collection dabbled with darker tones, as compared to the light colours she generally puts out. Overall, those in attendance went back home slightly more aware, sensitive and inspired.

Friday, the third day, was probably the most eventful. Falguni Shane Peacock came out in collaboration with Farah Khan. The pieces, inspired by space, were ready for an evening out. Preity Zinta closed the show in a strapless gown and dainty jewellery. Amit Aggarwal’s collection took inspiration from the Prince’s Palace of Monaco and Opera De Monte Carlo. The structured gowns and lehengas added a new dimension to the runway. Actress, Ekta Gupta closed the show in a blue and yellow lehenga. The afternoon sashayed into the evening with shows by Eka, Nikita Mhaisalkar and Neha Agarwal. Bollywood stars like Kalki Koechlin and Chitrangadha Singh made appearances on the runway during the shows. Gaurang surprised everyone with its organic creations. The collection used natural dyes from pomegranate seeds, harde and indigo and surly enough, left all the attendees buzzing. Urvashi Juneja had a collection of psychedelic prints and bright gowns. All her garments seemed to incorporate one or the other trends prevalent these days, in the form of florals, pant-suits, off the shoulder tops etc.

The highlight of the day, however, was Vasundhara Mantri’s show. Her inspiration came from Indian flowers such as tube roses, marigolds, hibiscuses, roses, closed lotuses and small buds. She translated the imagery of the flowers into clothing, jewellery as well as make up. Her wholesome approach to her collection left no stone unturned in term of hard work. Cream-coloured sarees and vibrant make up were the perfect backdrop for the intricate gold jewellery.

Today is be the last day of Lakmé Fashion Week 2017. It is no surprise that yet again, the designers have fulfilled everyone’s expectations. Everyone is looking forward to see how fashionistas and celebrities translate these pieces onto red carpets and at parties. As the week comes to an end, the only regret we all have is why it didn’t last longer.