Day 2 of WLIFW 2013 at Pragati Maidan saw Pallavi Mohan of the label Not So Serious make a comeback after two years. It also marked her shift from playfulness to a slightly serious means-business kind of tone. Her collection aimed to provide a strong shield from the harsh winter so she had hand-knit sweaters, woven velvet skirts, leather trousers, knitted floor-sweeping and tweed zip-up dresses on offer.

Flat knit sweaters with claw crystal details, skirts with metal teeth hems and fur trims added to the warmth of the collection.
Hemant and Nandita’s strength lies in interesting prints. They focused on the different textures of wood to put together compelling prints for dresses, gowns and tops. The resulting garments celebrated a blend of the opulence of Indian sensibilities with contemporary styles.
Taking his love affair with everything Rajputana forward, Samant Chauhan designed a collection around Rajputana bikers. While there were leather jackets, belts, unusual collars and digitally enhanced abstract prints in the shade of dried blood, one missed the rugged feel to the whole collection. One also wondered why there was nothing for the grunge bikers and instead he showcased long flowy gowns, angarakhas, silk trousers and even a sari. Having said that his style sense with Indian elements in place deserves respect. Full marks for Indrani Dasgupta’s textured ivory kurta.
Urvashi Kaur’s collection was like comfort food. The shades were soothing to the eye, the silhouettes were fuss-free and the soft cottony feel to the fabrics was irresistible. Gul Panag walked the ramp for her in a fluid crimson gown.
The previous night, the queen of black, Namrata Joshipura went beyond bold with a dark palette and a dash of wine, gold and shades of red.
Her eye for detail and finish made her collection strong, feminine and modern. The silhouettes were sharp and desirable. Leather played an important character in the drama titled “Wings of Desire” being staged on the runway. Fine leather strips were appliquéd to craft wing patterns on jacket dresses, pants, cuffs and jackets. The embellished angel dresses rubbed shoulders with overcoats while the angel-wing pants played tricks with stylised, textured and crop tops, drop waist and jersey dresses. Although the angelic eye make-up was in contrast to the strapped daggers on the waif-thin waists, the whole idea, it seems, was to strike a balance between subtle and powerful.
Earlier in the evening, designer duo Pankaj and Nidhi, narrated a musical story through their collection. “Our collection is a tribute to music and the fascinating forms of musical instruments. The construction of these instruments is so creative and intriguing that we decided to explore the mystery in our clothes,” said the new parents. “The Music Box”, their collection, made ample use of merino wool, silk jersey and smooth leather to create garments in red-chintz, blue-blacks, fuchsia, burnt and neon oranges and navy. The silhouettes were kept young, fresh in slim skirts, jackets cinched at the waist and jumpsuits. Crewel-work, latticework and pixelated embroidery ferried the story to its climax.