It is rare indeed for a sari to make an appearance at the Lakme Fashion Week. Of course, a few designers do feature it on the ramp from time to time, but it’s less dazzling avatar isn’t often worn by members of the audience.

Except for a few salwar kameezes worn by the older set, it’s Western apparel that dominates fashion choices. But on Sunday, Day 3 of Mumbai’s fashion extravaganza and the dedicated Indian Textile Day for the Winter/festive season, the sari’s star was in ascendance. So while the ramp featured the nine yards in beautiful, contemporary styles, prints and drapes, members in the audience too sported gorgeous Patolas, spare cotton and drapes with a hint of zari.
A panel discussion on India’s heritage textiles, helmed by Jaya Jaitly, Krishna Mehta, Maximiliano Modesti and Wendell Rodricks, kick-started the day, followed by the morning shows of Gaurang Shah and Shruti Sancheti. Saris, anarkalis and lehengas that beautifully highlighted the Kanjeevaram formed the mainstay of Gaurang’s show, which was titled “Ardhangini”. Detailing in Gaurang’s line included the use of the kalamkari technique, zardozi work, with a whimsical feature being the oversized animal-shaped tassels dangling from the backs of cholis and dupattas. Sari connoisseur Kirron Kher was Gaurang’s showstopper. Shaina NC performed the showstopper honours for Shruti Sancheti’s Thar-inspired line. Shruti’s line was a fiery one indeed, with red, mango yellow and orange dominating the colour palette. Shruti mixed and matched separates to great effect: So a sari was teamed with jodhpurs, bibbed kurtas with flowing skirts etc, with quilted jackets and asymmetric maxis providing an interesting counterpoint. “The look is perfect for a woman who wants to flaunt her heritage, yet is unconventional, is bit of a nomad trapped in the confines of the urban world and she takes pride in the rich legacy of craft, weaves and surface ornamentation that her country has to offer,” Shruti explained of her muse. The pre-lunch shows by Payal Kapoor and Shraddha Nigam with Mayank Anand carried forward the theme of tradition with a modern twist. Payal’s line, called “Notes from the Raj”, began with ethnic paisley prints on short cocktail dresses, moving to other unconventional garments like a sari-draped gown. But it was up to Sharddha and Mayank to try something even more offbeat — and from the thumping bhangra number that provided the beats for the models to walk to, to the innovative use of colour (neon green was used surprisingly well with purple, for instance), the designers certainly managed to make the crowd sit up and take note. Kotas, Bhagalpur, Tussore, Maheshwari and Bengaluru silks were used extensively with the designers’ trademark checks appearing on many of the garments.
From his opening act by Manipuri dancer Rinku Dutt to his showstopper, Gangs of Wasseypur actress Richa Chaddha; Debarun Mukherjee’s post-lunch show was the one everyone was talking about on Day 3. Debarun, inspired by the “iznik” tiles of Turkey, chose to work with their startling blue as the base of his collection, adding in dashes of beige and black. Apart from the womenswear line, Debarun had a menswear segment as well, featuring embroidered sherwanis and Tussore waistcoats. Elaborating on why he chose to call his collection “Omnipresent”, Debarun said, “There is a point in time in everyone’s life when you feel the presence of the omnipresent. This was my attempt at expressing my feelings at that juncture of realisation.”
Sharing the afternoon platform with Debarun was Vaishali Shadangule, who presented more of the asymmetrical Indo-Western fusion silhouettes in delicate fabrics like Chanderi, through her line “Reverb”, that she is known for. But it was textile diva Deepika Govind who infused a “pop” of energy into the day’s proceedings, after the sombreness of the afternoon.