Designs of the world

The Karnataka Fashion Week 2015, that was recently held at ‘The Collonade, Leela Palace’ was yet another window to India’s sartorial diversity. With designers trouping in from all over the globe and showcasing their collections, it displayed a blend of tradition with a hint of razzmatazz and bouts of innovation with a touch of the classic.

The two days paid a tribute to khadi weavers. Tara Aslam’s khadi ensembles in unbleached creams and soft pastels and Tahera’s khadi and handloom line, engineered with ‘Ikat’ created jackets, were dignified collections.

   Textile expert, Neeru Kumar’s label, ‘Tulsi’ celebrated the art of Indian handloom which were exquisite weaves  and Manish Saksena’s heritage sarees with reinvented colour palettes and contemporary motifs wore a fresh look. 

Bangladeshi designer, Bibi Russel, also showcased her collection of ‘Kota Doria’ created for the Government of Rajasthan when she had worked with the weavers there.

A ‘resorty’ and the spring-summer collection which was perfect for the season, by Runa Ray and Nimirta Lalwani, stole the show too. The former was defined by quick drying fabrics and the latter comprised of light pastel shades of delicate chiffon and georgette shifts, which were embroidered with metallic designs and in pastel shades. Exquisite collection of scarves, stoles and pashmina shawls made their way into the City, each a precious collectible by ‘Andraab’ from Kashmir. 

Eclectic collections such as ‘Anu & Susan’’s Bohemian rhapsody of ‘Ikat’ prints, Ritu’s fairy-tale sojourn with her soft chamois silk ensembles, Namrata Joshipura’s red carpet collection, Karuna Khaithan’s ethnic ensembles and Payal Pratap’s cross-stitch in tones of ivory, egg-shell blue and coral brought an elegant look overall.

Sarees made their striking appearance, be it in an original or in a reinvented manner. Designer Pavitra reinvented the luxury handloom sarees in fresh modern colours and combinations and ‘Calantha’ explored the draping and the use of sarees as stoles.
Men made their presence felt with Arup’s handloom ‘lungis’, Lokessh’s sharp suits in masculine palettes that wore a contemporary look and the silhouettes in luxury fabrics by City based designers, Jason & Anshu .

Labels brought their unique face to the ramp. ‘Conscience’ the edgy label from Sri Lanka by Designer Ajai Vir Singh comprised a story of colour from ivory and khaki to olive drab while ‘Maus’ took minimalism to a new level as Designer Annika Fernando, from Colombo, kept to a palette of black and white. ‘House of Three’ with couturier Sounak Sen Barat showed two collections - cut gowns and Jamdhani sarees and ‘Play Clan’, played with colour, with its graphic collection of easy resort in fine cotton and silk. Jewellery designer Pallavi Foley brought in a modern and funky look in precious metals and stones. As each line ‘wowed’ the audience as they were intelligently created and visually striking, showers of colour and glamour rained on the ramp.