Festive lookbook springs funky surprises

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With the festive season around the corner, it is a busy time for Indian designers, who are rocking the runway with latest celebratory trends. The Lakme Fashion Week Winter Festive 2013 offered a glimpse of the trends that will rule this festive season — innovations and fusions in ethnic outfits created for urban Indians who love to flaunt their desi-ness with a twist.
Designer Anita Dongre predicts that this season will see a wide range of styles combining pattern and texture with pop of colour.
She says, “Contem-porary silhouettes crafted out of Indian fabrics, re-interpreted bridal lehengas with innovative twist of geometric prints and shapes, crisp raw silk bandis, draped tunic tops, palazzo pants are some of the key trends to watch out for. In terms of prints, you will see a lot of bandhej, geometric prints and gota-patti work doing the rounds.”
Designer Manish Malhotra also vouches for trends that are high on colour. He says, “Minimalism is the key trend this season. One of the key highlights of this festive season for me is the introduction of Ghagra pants and Koti tops in my collection. The ghagra pant is a fun and stylish alternative to the lehenga. The Koti tops can be worn with saris or ghagras. Deep green, dark beige, deep blue and mustard are the colours of the season.”
Whereas, designer Pragya and Megha Samor believe that fluorescent hues will be back again to lure fashionistas. They inform, “We believe that too much of anything isn’t a look which can easily be carried by a lot people, so a splash of fluorescent, whether in the form of accessories or a cute hot pink top paired with denims, is what you can opt for. However, black and gold are also going to be big for classic evening occasions.”
Designer Astha Narang points out that anarkalis will still dominate the scene with long sleeves and flowing dupattas. She adds, “There will be a mix of vintage India with a touch of modernity, with peplum jackets, dhotis and velvet bandhgalas in bright hues. Winter is a time to make your wardrobe a happy burst of colour, so opt for bright hues accented with metal and costume jewellery.”
Designer Shehla Khan mentions that internationally as well as in India, a common trend for this fall would be structure. She elaborates, “Be it for outerwear, such as jackets and coats, or even blouses and dresses, every silhouette makes a statement. This trend has transformed into Indian wear in terms of silhouette as separates, such as a sari with a jacket! For the festive look opt for flowing anarkalis with a subtle highlight of badla work or chikan anarkalis and shadow saris which can be worn for the perfect day look. Transparent sheer and opaque silk, ornate with vintage floral patterns appliquéd or embroidered make superb evening outfits.” Interestingly designer Rajat Tangri predicts that the upcoming season will see a lot of bold Indian prints with a punk twist. He says, “Go for bold, Indian motifs, checks, tweeds and rich silhouettes in bright colours to fight the cold in a fashionable style. Pants will go slim and peplum jackets will be in vogue.”
For menswear, designer Pawan Sachdeva suggests that the top favourite trends for men will be a mix of formal and semi-formal elements with more emphasis being on the fabrics and textures with a come back of classic versions of darker tones of colours like maroon, blue, wine, black, variations in golden and whites.