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Traditional style gets a thumbs up

Desi Delights
Last Updated 16 October 2014, 16:25 IST

Playing with Indian fabrics and handlooms in different styles, specific to sta­tes, is nothing new for designers.

But still, there is endless scope for experimentation, like bringing lungi skirts and gamchhas on ramp, which was a first and drew applause at the recently concluded Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week Spring Summer 2015.

To bring that desi feel, designer Chhaya Mehrotra chose Banaras, known for various brocading techniques and home to crafts and text­iles. In fabrics like silk, cotton and noil, she created ensembles inspired by the style of dressing of local Banaras denizens, from a school-going girl to a flower vendor and a temple priest. Mehrotra pla­yed with colours of sindoor, chandan, Shiva and moksha – red, yellow, blue and white to give the feel of the city.

Designer Aneeth Arora, presented an amalgamation of western with Indian. She transformed the lungi fabrics into pants and shorts and teamed them with embroidered tops and jackets. With soft flowy fabrics, she used the chequered fabric to give an Indian touch, though the collection largely had European influence.

Even some prominent designers like Tarun Tahiliani too experimented with the lungi skirt. Tahiliani added a certain degree of charm to it by presenting it in light fabrics and teamed with tees and tops with imprints of art inspired from Mughal era. Dhoti skirts and dresses for day wear and kalidaars and sarees for the evening, were also a part of his collection.

Some designers tried to highlight the traditional craft of India along with the craft of other nations with simplistic beauty. Designer Roopa Pemmaraju, a designer born in Bengaluru but based in Melbourne, tried to come up something new. Her collection was ready to wear and included dresses, tunics and resort wear. It had intricate hand-woven details and vibrant colours in designs.

Taking assistance from weavers in Karnataka, Maharashtra and Varanasi, who still practise the art of hand-weaving, Pemmaraju also tapped the talent of indigenous Australian artists, to ensure that the designs were perfect.

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(Published 16 October 2014, 16:25 IST)

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