Lakmè 2014 opened with an exotic evening that showcased home-grown Indian talent.
For Winter/Festive 2014, Lakmè Fashion Week returns bigger than ever. Numerous celebrities have flocked to the event with a total of 86 designers showcasing their talent on the runway.
The 5 day long style event opened with an exotic evening show, with clothes presented by Masaba Gupta and Amit Aggarwal.
Gupta has shot to fame recently, winning the Gen Next designer show at Lakmè in 2009. Her 2014 show, called ‘Wanderess’, had a 1960s vintage look blended with styles inspired by the Goan woman, with vibrant yellow and neon hues.
Gupta’s showcase also featured movie star Shilpa Shetty in a beautiful black cut-out gown, which evoked a glamorous beach time atmosphere.
Aggarwal is known as an avant-garde, glamorous designer and he didn’t disappoint. His 2014 show had a tribal influence, but with a twist of androgyny mixed into the clothes. Whilst the garments clung to the models, there were also masculine hints such as lapels and styling inspired by menswear.
His standout model was Bollywood beauty Sushmita Sen, who glided down the catwalk in a black gown that was draped and fitted to perfection.
This night showcased these two home-grown designers from India, and they both opened 2014 Lakmè Fashion Week in grand style, with the promise of even better fashion to come.
Day 1
Day 1 opened with the Gen Next show, presenting six new designers all dubbed as the talent of the future.
Anuj Bhutani, Arunima Majhi, Dhruv Kapoor, Kristy de Cunha, Neha Agarwal and Surbhi Shekhar were the designers chosen to be in the 2014 Gen Next show.
Bhutani’s label ‘Reboot’ offered a winter menswear inspired by the 1960s ‘Teddy Boys’ subculture from England, with relaxed tailoring and discreet detailing.
Kapoor’s collection by contrast, was a bold look at the fashionable woman. The designer uses technology to develop new fabrics and prints, and presented A line skirts and boxy shirts.
2014 also marked the debut of Pakistani designers at Lakmè, as Faiza Samee, Rizwan Beyg, Zara Shahjahan and Sania Maskatiya all presented collections.
Maskatiya’s display, ‘Sakura’, was a highlight, drawing inspiration from the Japanese landscape of tea houses and cherry blossom.
This day also marked the debut of Laila Singh’s jewellery line ‘Social Butterfly’ in a presentation called ‘The Flight of Fancy’, which centred on the motif of feathers.
Day 2
The 2014 Textiles Day featured many labels, including Anuj Sharma, Krishna Mehta and Purvi Doshi.
Doshi’s collection was called ‘Chavi’ and elegantly blended traditional Indian style with a more modern look, mixing Khadi, African prints and Kutchi mirror embroidery.
A stand out in this show was Sonal Chauhan, who walked the ramp in a lehenga with Aztec prints, and silver jewellery by ‘Apala by Sumit’.
Purvi said she hoped to revive traditional Indian techniques for making clothes: “I always wanted to promote the natural fabrics we have in our country – it is a beautiful way to progress.”
Mehta’s collection also showed off traditional Indian techniques, using fabrics made by Indian handlooms from Benaras, Maheshwar, Bhagalpur and Manipur.
Later, Sayantan Sarkar’s exhibition, ‘Live and Let Live’ demonstrated Indian shibori cloth dyeing and zardosi embroidery alongside modern tailoring.
Designers Divya Seth and Sashikanth Naidu also presented on day 2. Shriya Saran walked the runway for Naidu in a vibrant red print saree.
Day 3
Day 3 of Lakmè Fashion Week presented jewellery and ensembles by Shubhika Davda, Ragini Ahuja, Rixi Bhatia and Jayesh Sachdev.
Davda’s collection was entitled ‘Frozen’ and showcased garments from her label ‘Papa Don’t Preach’. The lights dimmed at the start of the show, and the low lighting complimented the bejewelled accessories and clothes in frosty blue, silver and lilac.
Materials such as crystallised, beaded and sheeted mirrors, as well as coins and suede were all combined to create stunning pieces.
Ahuja’s collection, ‘Metal’, was for the label ‘Ikai’ and had a relaxed look with boyfriend shirts and oversized bomber-jackets. The fabric base of the clothes was delicate, with sheer Chanderi and cottons, combined with a marbled effect of metallic colours with oxblood and gold hints.
The 2014 collection from Bhatia and Sachdev’s label ‘Quirk Box’ also brought another glamorous show to the catwalk. Their collection was named ‘Bombay Balloon’ and was inspired by nostalgia for the vintage beauty of Bollywood.
Colours varied from burnt orange and teal blue, to emerald and metallic tones such as grey, gold and black.
Also showing on day 3 was Tanya Sharma’s ‘GAGA’ collection, which offered a sweet mix of pastels and light fabrics.
The show from Ekta Jaipura and Ruchira Kandhari’s label ‘Ekru’ was a lavish collection, with vibrant colours, fabrics and embellishments. Dupattas and kurtas were paired with sarees that shimmered down the runway.
The 2014 Lakmè Fashion Week has so far stunned audiences and celebrities alike with its beautiful mix of designers, all presenting different takes on Indian style.
Lakmè began in 1999, with worldwide celebrity models such as Naomi Campbell and Indian film stars such as Deepika Padukone and Arjun Rampal taking to the runway, and has since then gone from strength to strength.
As there are still two days of the extravaganza left, it will be intriguing to see what the finale of Lakmè Fashion Week 2014 will be.
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