First with the Next!

Fresh fashion flashed across the long ramp at the first show of Lakme Fashion Week Winter/Festive 2015 at Palladium Hotel on Wednesday.

Yes, as usual, it was the Gen Next show, presented by INIFD, that kick-started the five-day fashion feast. Mentored by Sabina Chopra, the 20th batch of seven young designers wowed the packed house.

Ajay Kumar's men's wear collection called 'Consonance and Dissonance' turned out to be a line of kitschy garments. With black and white and plenty of kaleidoscopic patterns, intricate and geometric with florals, birds and beasts, he unleashed a colour story of lotus pink, cranberry, parrot green with hints of bright red, khaki and darkest chestnut.

Charchit Bafna presented a zesty men's and women's wear line bordering on androgynous touches. It moved effortlessly between both genders with silhouettes and styles ideal for casual wear. He moved away from conventional winter hues onto blue, green and gold with distinct banana leaf prints and floral hand embroidery.

For her label Doodlage, Kriti Tula unveiled a cool collection of garments that projected how industry waste can be upscaled to create stylish women's wear. Adding patchwork, knitting back fabric strips from production waste and block printing, she displayed slouchy silhouettes with discreet detailing.

Jebin Johny's women's wear label Jeslipar collection was a dramatic amalgamation of two dance forms – Kathakali from India and Japan's Kabuki dance. The eight heavily feminine and quirky designed pieces had fusion prints in bold colours of red, blue, black on a white backdrop, 90 per cent cotton and 10 per cent Lycra. Sexy and stretchable, the striking prints and form-fitting silhouettes made a tremendous impact.

It was time for intrigue and suspense as Ishita Mangal presented 'Misprison of Treason' under her label Quo. It was an unconventional twist for women's wear with dramatic prints, slogans and accessories. With the crime scene as the theme, she was inspired by detectives, victims, etc. Highlights were the slain body outline motif on a black tunic, 'blood-stained' scarf for a brown slender dress, police ticker tape as an accessory and police slogans on a long tube.

Shivangi Mangal deconstructed elegance with a boho-luxe feel. The prime colours were navy blue and mustard with hints of burnt orange and earthy tones. Tassels and fringes were the focal point of the layered palazzo, black sleeveless jacket and woollen tasseled coat.

Siddhartha Bansal's collection called 'Story Teller' told the tale of the mythical divine bovine goddess, Kamadhenu, described as mother of all cows. While the inspiration was historic, his shapes were ultra-modern and ideal for the fashion-forward 21st century woman. The quirky cow and milk bottle prints were matched with embroidery in vibrant colours. All in all, a great start to the prestigious Lakme Fashion Week, now celebrating its 15th year.

Author: Marcellus Baptista