Reality battles fantasy on Day 1

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Actress Gita Bisra walks the ramp in a Parvesh & Jai creation at Lakme India Fashion Week Summer Resort 2011 in Mumbai on Friday

The first day of the Lakme India Fashion Week Summer Resort 2011 posed an oft-asked question. Should fashion reflect reality? Or should it remain what it is, unfettered by any earthly considerations, a flight of fancy? Can it exist in a “pure” state? Or does it, unlike other forms of art, have to bow down to the considerations of the market?

Consider this: Many of the collections on day one of the week-long fiesta showcased the “layered” look — d jackets, in a gender twist on the skin peek-a-boo that is usually the domain of women swear fashion. “Our clothes are just an experiment in deconstruction fine enough for the winter, but hardly appropriate for the sweltering heat of the summer.
The first collection of the day itself, Shivaji Dutta’s “Blank Spot” line for the GenNext show, featured heavy woollen stockings in shades of brown. So also, “Myoho” by Kiran and Meghna — featured later in the day — had models strut in thick black tops and leggings, the whole finished off with solid black Oxfords. Each outfit had a minimum of three layers and the rich Indian wear collection by Preeti Kapoor seemed more reminiscent of a Winter Festive collection than a Summer Resort one. All of which brings us back to the question of whether fashion — Summer fashion — can be so divorced from the reality of Indian weather.
Such minor considerations aside, there was plenty of promise on the runway on day one.
The excitement was palpable as the soundtrack for the GenNext began with a countdown, signalling the start of five days of non-stop fashion.
Shivaji Dutta’s collection — stockings aside — was well received, featuring simple dresses with leather embellishments. An interesting element was a shirt-dress worn backwards with the sleeves tied behind the back. Said Dutta, “My collection was inspired by the statement ‘one man’s waste is another man’s material’. All the cloth and leather used in this collection has been salvaged from elsewhere, old garments have been reconstructed to create new ones.” Reconstruction was also the theme of the “I Know” label, created by Timsy and Siddharth. With styling reminiscent of Babyshambles frontman Pete Doherty, male models walked the ramp in cutaway shirts and jackets, in a gender twist on the skin peek-a-boo that is usually the domain of women swear fashion. “Our clothes are just an experiment in deconstruction and reconstruction,” said the young designers.
Another standout collection was Manas Dash’s quirky creations with ethnic motifs in shades of bright yellow, green, red and blue.