Designers follow route to roots

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At the recently concluded Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week, the innovations might not have been groundbreaking and the collections not outstanding, but designers who took the route to roots stunned all with their interpretation of age-old techniques and elements. Here are a few trends that made a bold statement and evoked a feeling of homecoming.

Peacock motif
Fashion took flight as many designers showcased avian-inspired clothes. The peacock stole the show. Pankaj and Nidhi had embroidered, appliquéd and printed peacocks on their dresses, jackets, kurta sleeves. Peacocks were noticed on collars, cuffs, saris and dresses by Abraham and Thakore. Rohit Bal too let peacock share space with his signature lotus motif.
“Bird motifs are popular world over. Since we were inspired by nature, peacocks easily made their way into our collection,” says Pankaj Ahuja. “Peacock is so pretty, colourful and it’s a symbol of Indianness. It blends well with every style and fabric while retaining the cultural sensibilities,” adds designer Niharika.
Bandhini bouquet
Bandhini, or bandhej as it’s popularly called, not only rules Rajasthan or Gujarat, but has caught the eye of the world. From Armani to McQueen, the Western world lapped it up and gave it a twist. Designer trio Ashish, Viral and Vikrant of the label Virtues have done their entire collection in bandhini, with patterns that look like bead-work but are actually created with resist dyeing.
Payal Jain opened her show in a long bandhini jacket. Abraham and Thakore’s kediya jacket with skirt and saris followed the same course. James Ferreira’s tie and dye patterns, loud and oversized in cocktail and silk dresses, screamed for attention. Says Ashish Parikh, “The effect bandhej creates is magnificent. The technique speaks volumes about our art, culture, textiles. To infuse freshness, we mixed bandhej with other patterns. It is a nice change for bling-tired eyes.”

Saris with jackets
Another big trend that will go bigger this season is saris worn with numerous versions of jackets. Who can forget JJ Valaya’s Alika jacket teamed with saris. This time whoever showcased saris followed this trend. Abraham and Thakore sent Bhawna Sharma in a Rabari work sari with a crushed long jacket. Lakshmi Rana wore a hand-woven silk sari with a short jacket for Rahul Mishra. Tarun Tahiliani had opulent brocade jackets in varied lengths to complement the saris.
Nil of Dev r Nil, who has also styled saris with organza jackets for his collection, says, “The style reflects a beautiful blend of Western cuts and Indian sensibilities. Yesteryears’ Bollywood stars made this trend iconic. It’s a style which makes an impression, for it’s so stylish, while being practical at the same time because it’s so comfortable.”