Image for Day 1: Breezy, light

Mumbai ,The Lakmé Fashion Week 2010, embraced the “third season” with a focus on the summer and resort wear rather than fall-winter like most fashion weeks do this time of the year.
Designers took full liberty of showcasing collections that they and the rest of fashion-conscious India are more familiar with — breezy, light and colourful.

Designer Rocky S.’s summer collection was suited for the Indian bride of today — forward thinking, yet traditional. The description sounded familiar but the designer who apart from his Bollwood work, prefers working with Western silhouettes, came out with an unpredictable bridal collection that went from black and pink to yellow, beige and even blue, in mostly soft pastel shades. Rocky collaborated with Queenie, who designed jewellery to compliment his outfits.
“There are a lot of changes happening with bridal wear today. Women love traditional wear, but they want to try new colours and cuts and be more experimental. I’ve kept the look feminine, using a little embroidery and the fabrics are suited for the summer,” he said. Queenie, made it certain that her collection designed under the Giantti brand, was put together keeping Rocky’s show in mind.
Designers Babita M., went to the winter wonderland in Bhutan to get inspiration for her bohemian, spiritual summer-resort line. The casual, sporty outfits may have not been suited for a cold climate but Babita did justice to her inspiration with Bhutanese fabric and traditional embroidery, and even went to the length of putting together a summer dress with prayer flags.
Designer duo Shyamal and Bhumika missed the festive bus by a bit that didn’t stop them from going all out with colour in their collection “Holi”. Models sported light summer dresses, with splashes of “gulal”, walking to Rang Barse and looking the festive part.
Fashion week debutantes, Vizyon, showcased a more contemporary line in terms of cuts and silhouettes. French designer Ninon Palisse, the talent behind the fashion house’s line, credited her inspiration to the stars. “It’s very poetic, feminine, glamorous and precious,” she said.
Before the first-half of day 1 ended, designer Nikasha showcased a beautiful and understated resort collection called “Siuli”. With very feminine silhouettes, rich colours and gold embroidery, the collection reeked elegance. Nikasha didn’t need to go over the top with embellishments, letting her choice of fabric (Benarasi brocade and chanderi) do the talking.

Edlyn G. D'souza