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MUMBAI ,DAY 3 of the Lakme Fashion Week Summer-Resort 2010 kicked off to an “inspired” start on Sunday. Amalraj Sengupta was up first, showcasing his collection inspired by the movie Transformers.
Sling bags turned into hooded jackets, shirts turned into dresses at the flick of a zip and jackets worn in different ways to create two different looks. Linen appeared at its best in the grey, black and off-white tones of Sengupta’s first showing after his debut at the Gen Next show at LFW in 2009.
A self-confessed movie buff, Sengupta says his intention was to create clothes that would reflect the lifestyle of today’s on-the-go generation. “My clothes are for the person who wakes up at nine and heads off for work, and returns home at 12 after attending a party. The challenge is to create a multipurpose, multi-utility line that reflects that,” he said. An interesting touch was the open-toed, quilted sneakers with fuchsia laces.
If Sengupta’s intention was to create workday clothes, Harangad Singh’s line was unapologetically feminine. Short dresses with fluid skirts and cap sleeves in delicate shades of white, baby pink, purple and grey were the mainstay, with an occasional pleat or embellished butterfly motif adding a touch of whimsy.
Singh says the line is quite in keeping with his penchant for looking to nature for inspiration, albeit with a fantasy element. “I looked to the Celtic myths for inspiration. The butterfly motif is an extension of fantasy, lore, fairies — all of that,” said Singh, who added that his collection was an attempt at reviving handloom tradition. Making a huge, and positive impression was model-turned-designer V.J. Balhara with his line VJB.
His collection started soberly enough with pleated smocks and shrug-like jackets in ivory linen, with an interesting edge, quite literally, of ikkat patterns. A stunning transformation later, his quiet designs metamorphosed into lovely yellow and fuchsia pink creations. Jodhpurs, jumpsuits and full flowing skirts teamed with off-shouldered blouses created a confident, fusion look for the modern woman. “My mission is to bring rural silhouettes into focus, to urbanise rural chic,” said Balhara, who also had to field queries on why he hadn’t followed the usual path from model to choreographer or actor.
But after the highs of the morning, the immediate post-lunch shows were disappointing. Asmita Marwa’s “Maya” was very bohemian, very beach, but not very exciting. Swapnil Shinde’s “Let’s Play a Game-Again” generated buzz, which wasn’t quite borne out by his collection. An interesting element however, were stiff hexagonal skirts, a metallic silver dress with sharply accentuated shoulders and a flowing black gown with a stiff bronze corset — all adding to the line’s techno-space feel.

Rohini Nair