Of colour, cut and creation

The fashion was not really high and the style quotient jarred too. As the Bangalore Fashion Week (BFW) rolled into the second and third days, the razzle-dazzle and hype settled down, making it easy for a dispassionate evaluation of the event. Yes, the collections on show were stunning but when it came to practicality, the designers left a lot to desire.

   The newbies, fresh out of campus, made a harakiri of the opportunity that was theirs for the asking. The stunning clothes were literally weighed down by their weight, making one wonder whether anyone would deign to wear them in Bangalore.
Bhakti Reddy from Hyderabad had combined ‘Kanchipuram with silks’. She dubbed her collection as wearable and said it revolved around cocktail sarees. “One can't create just about anything from imagination. The pieces are practical and an extension of the person that I am. The concept of saree hasn't caught up with the young as yet and I would like to promote that,” she said.

Priyanka Thakur’s collection leaned more towards the saree, lehenga and bridal wear. Titled the Bold and the Beautiful, her collection was for the modern woman. She fused Indian into Western wear and used loads of Indian embellishments, primarily  zardosi work. Later, Ramesh Dembla hit the ramp with his sarees with belts on wear. He showcased sarees, short dresses, gowns, all in silk and tussar. “None of these are figure hugging. They are all free size and my collection is for just about any woman,” said Dembla.

Mohit Falod's pieces were well-crafted and heavily worked on but drew most of their inspiration from nature. Animals, flowers formed a large part of his work. He had overused Swarovski crystals that made the collection look heavy.
Day three of BFW had people pouring in till after the clock struck 12. The page 3 people were there in full attention and the highlight — Jattinn Kochhar and Manoviraj Khosla — drew maximum attention.

 The show began with Rekha Jacob. She focused on working out clothing for women that would best suit their body types, so as to ooze confidence and improve self-image. Her collection entitled, The Circle Series is inspired by circles. Using the concept of circles to clothe the body, every garment was made from only circular pieces of fabric that were draped, stitched together, folded, slit through or twisted to form original silhouettes, providing solutions to the various body-types. The collection showcased party, cocktail and evening wear.

 Sumita’s designs were woven around Bahuria, the local term used for bride in some of the states in North India. This collection encompassed distinctive hand-embroidery and impeccable colour combinations. Later, Sanjay and Sammy’s 12-year-old stint in the fashion industry was thoroughly exploited at BFW. The collection, Utsav – An ode to Celebration was a riot of colours and textures in antique embroidery. The collection sashayed sherwanis, jodhpuris, and kurtas in stylish cuts with embellishments in addition to suits and waist coats for men in flattering fits and chic, party maternity wear. The colours were bright and metallic, symptomatic of celebration. The fabrics used were brocades, silks, crepes,velvets and blends to maintain the richness of each creation.

   Jattinn Kochhar collection entitled, “Diva 80 drew inspiration from the music of the 80s. He had drawn a synergy between his designs and a new watch line. He fused ethnic images on cocktail and contemporary sarees. Black and red colours largely ruled the collection. 

Manoviraj Khosla’s collections were aimed at those between 17 and 60 years old and came across as a very wearable line for both men and women. The Western wear for both men and women were in a variety of fabrics and styles, catering to teens and older connoisseurs. He had concentrated more on the styles and cuts rather than embellishments.