Since Bollywood Diva – Kareena Kapoor signed on to endorse the Lakme Absolute range of colour cosmetics, she has been one of the shiniest factor for Lakme Fashion Week (LFW), held bi-annually in Mumbai. If I recall right – since Bebo signed-up with Lakme, she has been the show-stopper for two grand finale shows – Manish Malhotra’s Summer/Resort 2012 and Kallol Datta and Pankaj & Nidhi’s Winter/Festive 2012. Tonite Kareena Kapoor will be there as a show-stopper for talented designer – Namrata Joshipura’s grand finale show.
Fortunately, including this season, it has been Delhi Designers who had been doing Lakme Fashion Week’s Grand Finale shows. Kareena Kapoor as a show-stopper gives a major boost to the Delhi based designers amongst Bollywood’s fashionistas. We had seen that for Pankaj & Nidhi. But Joshipura is already popular amongst B-Town actresses and star wives. Still Bebo’s tadka is always welcome. Wadddyyyaaa Say???
Kareena Kapoor in a Manish Malhotra gown a year back was a disaster. The outfit of that kind you see at passing-out shows of students from nondescript fashion schools. The following season, Bebo wore a Kallol Datta printed shirt-dress. Very ‘Kallol’ but too low on ‘glam’ for somebody like Kareena. Pankaj & Nidhi’s tassled leather number got mired in controversy so I will skip commenting on it. But yeah tonite I Kareena Kapoor did dazzle in Namrata Joshipura’s candy-floss colour scheme. But how I wished Bebo would had worn the sexy orange flared mini skirt (the one she is wearing in the Top-Right picture) instead of the neon pink pleated palazzos that makes her look stunted. But then I have heard that Kareena is very difficult to deal and a designer may not always get her to wear what they would had preferred.
The Fall-Winter 2013 of Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week (WIFW) kicks-off today. Pray that the designers show us real fall-winter clothes and not hide behind the overused excuse that most of India hardly has seasons or winter for that matter. If that’s the case, then opt out of fall-winter showings please.
The Day 1 of WLIFW F-W 2013 has an interesting line-up. I am looking forward to Masaba’s debut collection for Satya Paul. The epic brand has first time out-sourced a creative director, post Puneet Nanda’s exit from Satya Paul. But then Pallavi, assistant designer is an old war-horse at Satya Paul with 15 years experience and Masaba is good with prints, which is Satya Paul’s forte. Guess the brand – Satya Paul’s core philosophy would be intact.
Kanika Saluja looks like will present her gold metal studded dresses that she showed sometime back at a soiree. Anupama Dayal too sticking to her forte of interesting textile and vibrant colours in her ‘Ishq-e-Dilli’ collection. Looking forward to it. Vineet Bahl’s last fall-winter collection was great and I am looking forward to his show too. But I believe this time Vineet Bahl is showcasing Indian wear.
And of course I am anxiously looking forward to the last two shows of Day 1 – Pankaj & Nidhi and Namrata Joshipura. Love their work as the raise the bar every season, year after year. Don’t know much about Pankaj & Nidhi’s collection (I like the ‘surprise’ element of a collection.) but have a feeling that Namrata Joshipura is going ‘Monochromatic’. Can’t wait to feast the eyes on them!
Fashionscandal.com yet again brings you this news first – It is finalised that designer JJ Valaya is the Grand Finale designer at Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week (WIFW). This is the second time JJ Valaya has been opted for as the Grand Finale designer at WIFW. Fall-Winter 2012 edition of WIFW is scheduled from February 15th till 19th at The Pragati Maidan.
Why Manish Malhotra manages to get a ‘Sponsored’ show at WIFW? He is a horrendous designer and we haven’t yet got over the horrendous show he presented at the Lakme Fashion Week last season. Yet we find Manish Malhotra doing the Blender’s Pride show at the forthcoming WIFW. Is it the lure of the Bollywood Tamasha that makes Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI) offer Manish a sponsored show year after year???
Sanchita Ajjampur has been offered the other ‘Sponsored’ show – The Fiama Di 
Wills Show. Sanchita is a good choice though. However sources say that the Fiama show was initially offered to Ranna Gill but she opted out. The Fall-Winter 2012 edition of WIFW is marked by the glaring absence of the true Pret designers. We don’t have Namrata Joshipura, Rajesh Pratap Singh, Rohit Gandhi & Rahul Khanna, Ranna Gill and Nandita Basu showcasing. Reasons? Well if my guess is right, these designers are concentrating on Tranoi in Paris.
The Spring/Summer 2012 Edition of Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week (WIFW) concluded on the 12th of October 2011. It’s a week since then and I was working on the list of ‘My Top Ten Collections from WIFW SS 2012’. After much deliberation I drew up my list of Top 10 Collections ( 4 of which I had earlier posted about) at WIFW SS 2012. The names appear in no particular order:
Nandita Basu: I primarily like the contouring of the seeming simple looking but complex silhouettes by paneling work. The way Nandita adapted the flavours of Rajasthan in a modern way was also applaudable.
Rajesh Pratap Singh: As I had already mentioned, the textiles were simply beautiful. Pratap’s colours for the collection were also very summery and his use of Ikat prints in a very modernised form was something that might give Ikat a new lease of life. The motifs – Dragonflies and Butterflies, the layered shirtdresses, saris with waistcoats and the combination of grey with Tangerine Orange and Candy Pink were few factors that made the collection look awesome.
Sanchita Ajjampur’s Art Deco bikinis and swimsuits made a bold opening of her show. But it was the wide legged chiffon pants; chiffon gowns with unfinished hems and the innovative Sari T-Shirts that made me like the collection.
Namrata Joshipura moved away from the shiny sequined look and showcased some fine embellishments using metal and plastic beads. I loved the goddess draped dresses and skirts, the Shirt-dresses textured with floral and diamond motifs and the spiky shorts.
Pankaj & Nidhi: This coy duo comes out with a drastically new look every season and that is no mean achievement as per me. For their spring/summer 2012 collection Pankaj and Nidhi painstakingly textured the garments using intricate scallops, interwoven cutwork, folds and lattice work that also convinced me that the duo have perfected the art of Origami. The Vinyl Appliqué work and the ‘Light-Bulb’ Motif were so refreshing. It’s not only the texturisation that wins, even their styles which were essentially very contemporary and the construction of the garments were admirable.
Rahul Mishra: His forte is textile, a department where he does plenty of research and that sure did pay off. For spring/summer 2012 Rahul Mishra used lot of Tulle, Silk Organza and some Silk Chiffon and exploited the sheerness of these fabrics to the hilt to create a subtle sensual look. The simple shifts, shirt-dresses, long flowy dresses and the Trench dresses were embellished with embroidered flowers, leaves and diamonds but what stood out was the placement of these embroideries. Even the gradation of colours he used heightened the garment’s look.
Rohit Gandhi & Rahul Kanna: This designer duo is getting better with time. For me anybody who can make a jumpsuit or a kaftan (two Items that I abhor) look nice instantly wins my appreciation. But that’s not the only reason I loved their spring/summer 2012 collection. Sticking to their signature monochromatic colours with occasional burst of orange and red, Rohit and Rahul too juxtaposed the sheer with the opaque deftly. Yes the experimentation with the lapels and collars resulted in some great styles but then what excited me more were those cascading strings or horizontal tassels, the tasseled bustier & shrugs, the fish-scale sequin work, the embellishment with interlocking safety-pins and other metal bits. Mind you, those embellishments were on delicate voiles, organza and tulles and must have required great precision. And last but not the least, Rohit and Rahul’s each and every garment looks perfectly tailored and finished.
Raakesh Agarvwal: What is this fad for ‘designer’ spellings for names? Anyway I was happy to see some structured ensembles amongst his usual draped styles by Raakesh Agarvwal in his Spring/Summer 2012 (Raakesh however preferred to call it Resort Wear) collection. Loved the laser cutwork detailing on dresses and also the laces appliquéd on them. The geometric ‘Dori’ detailing was fine too and yes the hooded kaftan is ideal for Resort Wear.
Malini Ramani: I felt it was a very Rajasthan inspired collection of Malini Ramani. The monochromatic sequence was reminiscent of the traditional look the Kalbeliya dancers, the minis, the bell-bottoms and gowns with colourful mirror-work on them is a typical Rajasthani gypsy look and the sequence in graded hues of Indigo took me back to Jodhpur where from the Mehrangarh Fort when you look down all you see are blue-washed houses. It was a fabulous fusion of vibrant Indian elements on contemporary styles.
Samant Chauhan: True to his roots, Samant used Bhagalpuri Tussar silk this time with sheer Tulle and gave a touch of subdued ornate look with Zari work and Zardozi embroidery to create some great looking ensembles. Loved the wrapped around dresses in “Angarkha’ style and the lehenga styled long skirt paired with an ornate jacket.
Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week (WIFW) Spring/Summer 2012 is going great. There were plenty Bollywood glitter. I saw Rajeev Khandelwal, Prateik Babbar and Kalki, Behenji Trying To Be Mod – Kangana Ranaut, Deepika Padukone, Lisa Hayden whose butt has grown bigger since Rascals and Gauhar Khan.
By the way I spotted the Herve Leger flaunting Wannabe Socialite at Raakesh Aggarwal’s show. Her belly portruded from the body hugging Red Herve Leger dress and this time she had a valid front-row seat. But this Page-3 wannabe ensured she is clicked by the paparazzi before leaving. Mission Accomplished Madam-ji?
My choice of ‘Absolutely Fabulous’ shows for Day 2:
Sanchita Ajjampur opened her show with Art Deco swimsuits and Bikinis (thankfully the models were waxed clean down there) and then went on to show some cool resort wear. I particularly loved the Sari T-shirts, the wide-legged chiffon pants, the sundresses with floral appliques, and the feather prints that were really unique. My favourites however were the chiffon gowns with unfinished hems. I hate kaftans but Sanchita gave them a whole new twist, which I found rather alluring.
Namrata Joshipura took us on a Pink Floyd trip. I love her work and she timely moved off from those sequin bathed look, which was becoming synonymous to her label. The colours were perfect for a summer line – Glacial, Ivory, Grey and some Black. I loved the goddess draped dresses and skirts, the Shirt-dresses textured with floral and diamond motifs and something innovative, which Namrata called ‘Kinematic Waves’ and of course the spiky shorts.