LFW Winter/Festive | Anita Dongre, Shyamal and Bhumika

A few more from LFW! 


Anita Dongre showcased a gorgeous ethnic collection replete with rich colors, refined embroidery, and tried-and-true silhouettes. The collection comprised of chiffons, silks, brocades, bandhni prints, tulle and other fabrics fashioned into kurtas, lehengas, saris, and evening gowns. None of the pieces were groundbreaking, but they were all beautiful and definitely wearable. My favorites were the black kurta in the first photo (on the right), the white and gold lehenga (middle, third photo), and the three blue-and-red outfits (second to bottom photo, L, R and C).

Shyamal and Bhumika also showcased a rich ethnic collection with large doses of intricate embroidery, velvet borders, metallic thread work, and some gorgeous kundan jewelry. The clothes were beautiful wish there was something ground breaking about them! Even though the collection wasn't anything new, it was certainly very regal.

{Photos: MastiOne and Facebook}

LFW Winter/Festive | Sabyasachi Mukherjee

Of course Sabyasachi will get a post all to himself - after all, his latest collection once again left me droooooling. I simply loved it!! The clothes were gorgeous beyond imagination, as usual. The models looked like they had walked straight out of a very hip and fashionable by-gone era. 

I wont say anything else - just sit back, relax, and feast your eyes. 

 In love with all the red and black. Also loved the silk dupatta on the left - the color and embroidery are just divine! 

Only Sabyasachi can make velvet look so wearable and non-outdated! Loved the velvet patiala pants. The embroidered ballet flats reminded me of the silk shoes from Alexander McQueen's Fall/Winter 2008 collection (another favorite collection of mine!)

 More velvety goodness. The two models on the left looked so regal! And the velvet saris are to die for, especially the aubergine one. 

This black sari was so beautiful! The subtle, refined embroidery and the full-sleeved blouse brought the whole look to a new level. The embellished collar on the blouse looked so regal! 

Again loved the dupattas on the left. And how cute were the little kids that walked? And I have got to mention the men's clothes - they were just as beautiful as the women's! I'm in love with the embellished jackets and turbans. 

LOVE LOVE LOVE the colorful jackets and flared tunics, the floral turbans with their embellished borders, and the silk churidaars! So much swag in one look! 

 Such beauutiful dupattas! I still can't get over them. 

I want these dupattas! Both colors were absolutely divine.  

Some gorgeous details from the clothes. These are the elements that make Sabyasachi so awesome :)


{Photographs: Facebook, MastiOne, Bharat Student}

LFW Winter/Festive | Nachiket Barve, Pallavi Goenka, and Vaishali S

Without further ado, ladies and gentlemen - here are some more gorgeous collections from LFW Winter/Festive 2011!

First up - Nachiket Barve. The collection was based around bold reds, oranges, and pinks, which I loved. There was a lots of ombre fabrics, different textures, and ruffles, and glam by the way of a dash of sequins. I loved the whole collection, and the color schemes were right up my alley! It was an instant favorite. 

I loved the tunic on the left. The choli on the right would make for a very interesting sari blouse!

Such a fan of all that ombre! 

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Pallavi Goenka served up a kitschy ethnic collection - mixed prints, mirror work, embroidery and patch work and different textures and fabrics came together to form some pretty cool pieces. Definitely cool for someone who likes their Indian wear a little out-of-the-way. 

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Vaishali S - a designer that I hadn't seen before, presented a totally awesome collection. She used chanderi saris to create a unique collection with a definitive sari influence. I loved the use of pallus on many of the clothes - they added an ethnic flair without being OTT. The collection was subtly festive - restrained and quiet - a really good change from all of the regular festive fare out there. I can't wait to see her next collection! 

Vaishali S, on the right, with model Alesia Raut. I love the designer's white sari with the unexpectedly colorful pallu! 

{Photos: Facebook and Mastione}

Lakme Fashion Week Winter Festive 2011

So many fashion weeks going on all over the place, I can hardly keep up! Lakme Fashion Week Winter Festive 2011 just kicked off. Here's your snapshot of a few shows from Day 1 and 2!

 Archana Kochhar showed a restrained collection with refined, subtle embroidery and flowing silhouettes. It was a definite change from some of her other collections, which dangerously bordered on tacky. I like!

Payal Singhal's collection had some soft pastels - yellows, pale blues and green, light purples with intricate but refined embroidery and zari work. I liked that the collection looked festive without getting overwhelming or tacky.

JJ Valaya's collection featured lots of intricate embroidery with sequins, beads, metallic threads, and stones, as well as rich colors. Deep red, maroons, burgundy, gold, and coppery shades in rich fabrics like velvet, brocade, silk and raw silk dominated. Overall, the collection wasn't anything completely new or exciting, but it was beautiful nevertheless. One of my favorite pieces was the coat worn by the male model in the first set of photos, on the left.

I'll confess - I've never really paid any attention to Nishka Lulla's clothes, but this collection definitely caught my eye and is an instant favorite! I loved how it was distinct and festive at the same time. The collection featured some yummy shades of golden yellow, bright orange, blood red, ivory, with accents in hues of blue, purple, and green. The collection used a lot of chiffon-esque fabrics, along with regular and raw silks. I especially loved all of the bold embellishments and embroidery used on the borders and motifs of the clothes.

{Photos: MastiOne and Facebook}

Delhi Couture Week Review

Delhi Couture Week just passed and another fashion week is upon us - the Indian International Jewelry Week.
Here's my review of Delhi Couture Week!

Suneet Varma's collection was his take on the Kama Sutra. He interpreted the text with deep, bold colors like fiery orange, bright red, and fuschia, with bold metallic accents accents. There were some softer colored pieces as well, in beiges, creams, and pale aquas, and these were also lushly embroidered. As expected of couture, everything was over-the-top - long, trailing sari pallus, train-like dupattas, skirts made of layer and layers of fabric, rich embroidery and zari work. And, a special mention for the hairstyles - I loved the gold hair pins/discs (?) that the models wore. Gorgeous!

Manish Malhotra's collection was more of the same-old -- stuff he is comfortable with, and has been presenting, it seems, forever. As usual, the pieces featured rich detailing and lush embroidery. I do wish MM would experiment with different cuts, silhouettes, fabrics and interpretations of modern Indian bridal wear. I'd love to see him re-invent the quintessential Indian bride, mix old with new, add an edge. Alas, it is not to be :(
But, I've got to say, a certain Miss Kapoor looked totally fabulous on the runway. FIERCE!

Sonam Kapoor for Manish Malhotra

I loved the jewelry featured in Anju Modi's collection! 

My two favorite pieces, and shots, from Ashima Leena's collection. 
The collection featured a mixture of ethnic clothes that included saris, lehengas, churidaars, anarkalis and more. The collection had an other-worldly quality with the rich colored fabrics, traditional silhouettes and intricate embroidery and motifs. I loved all of the fabrics used for the dupattas!

JJ Valaya's collection - titled Tasveer showcased how photographs have changed over the ages. 
The collection featured clothes that were were both simple and elegant and clothes that were very intricate and rich. My favorites were the black and white saris featured at the beginning. I liked how JJ Valaya translated with the black-and-white and sepia photographs into his clothes, but the "colored" stuff felt kind of dated. The lehengas were defintely beautiful, but I wish they were innovated or rethought somehow. I did like some of the lehenga-jacket pairings though.


{All Photos: Viral Bhayani}