More spark than sputter at the show

ANAMIKA KHANNA

The much-watched designer showed an elegant feminine line of luxuriously crafted floaty garments. Working from a colour base of white and black for the majority of the garments with just a hint of coral, fuchsia, aquamarine and fiery red, her silhouettes were layered gently for broad harem pants, sheer underskirts, simple ganjis, lean kurtas and angarkhas, jackets and a line of half saris teamed with pants. Cotton, georgette, chiffon and lace were treated to cutwork, appliqués, smocking, drapes and encrusted with selective sequins and ornate zardozi motifs. Detailing was restricted to tiny slender tie-ups and knots.
 
ANUJ SHARMA

Buttons and button holes excited Sharma, whose Button Masala collection played around with the way garments can be fastened. Each piece offered the wearer multiple possibilities to change her silhouette. Working only in red, black, off-white and nude, Anuj sprinkled on multi-coloured buttons everywhere.
 
LECONET HEMANT

Designers Leconet Hemant presented a trio of collections called ‘Re-LOVE-ution’. The highlight was their organic ‘Ayurganic’ collection, treated with special oils and herbs and free of synthetic chemicals and toxins. It will be sold at wellness lounges in biodegradable bags.

MASABA GUPTA
 
This new graduate turned in a fun collection of patchwork and prints. Crafted from handloom silk and cotton, her line was a blend of the rustic with the contemporary in multiple colours. An anarkali mini, a checkerboard sari and a vibrant jumpsuit were highlights.

RAHUL ANAND

This quirky line used iron buckets, plastic mugs, bottle brushes and light bulbs as embellishments in a range titled God Must Be Crazy. With whirling fans on the head, birds on shoulders and carbon blue as the predominant colour, the creations had abstract shapes for skirts, blouses, tunics and dresses.

KALLOL DATTA

With natural fabrics like kora, cotton, mull, voile, net and crepe, Datta steered clear of conventional fashion as usual with dragonflies, bees and logo prints making up his Avant Garde F’ck  collection in geometric. His palette was limited to ecru, pink, jade, black and beige but it was the construction of the garments that delighted, with highlights being drapes at the hem and the back, a junta wrap overlay, a swinging dress with a winged hem on one side all making for strong conversation pieces.

NARENDRA KUMAR AHMED

Very unconventional and practical, Kumar’s line aimed at real people in all shapes and sizes. Inspired by Tangiers in Morocco, his line for women aged 18 to 24 featured lots of tops, jeans, tunics, some oriental pants, dresses and brightly printed shirts in colours such as red, cobalt blue, yellow and browns. His fabrics were mainly cotton woven and knits, for day wear and graphic prints in polyester.

WENDELL RODRICKS

Rodricks’s Brazilian Bossa Nova was a cool laidback line of comfortable silhouettes. A palette in shades of earth and tan was employed on jerseys, crisp linens, flowing silks and cool eco-cottons, with highlights being a peacock blue and grey linen envelope hem dress, a ghaghara-cum-poncho and a single-sleeve shift.

TARUN TAHILIANI

A series of drapes (including saris, gowns, togas, Grecian tunic, and fringed kurtas) went down the runway, followed by a line of tribal clothes featuring stunning boleros, block-printed Bhagalpur kurtas and finely tailored, embellished trousers. A final Padshanama collection was a study in grandeur as the most majestic saris, lehengas and kurtas glided for women, with menswear featuring bundgalas, kurtas and sherwanis.