#AIFWAW17 Day 3: The Highlights

For those of you who liked the elegance and old time nostalgia of Day 2, #AIFWAW17 Day 3 unveiled a very similar assembly of designs where colour was the best used element to create mood and feeling. The Romantic era motifs, Victorian moods, Gothic nuances and medieval Indian art and architecture tell us that the designers have been looking a lot into the past for inspiration. Here are the highlights:

One of the most well regarded designers of the day was Anju Modi whose collection, Neelambar, uses handcrafted textiles for a premium, organic feel with vintage accents that were reminiscent of medieval Indian art and architecture. With rich blues, creamy ivories and timeless dull gold, the collection looked like it could have fitted just right in a delicate Pahari painting.

Sahil Kochchar’s collection also had a similar delicate lightness to it. Called ‘Kyari’ and inspired by the meadows and landscape of Uttarakhand, this collection had Romantic nuances with flowery embroideries, mutes colours and asymmetrical  silhouettes representative of the hills and valleys of Uttarakhand.

Another designer that was inspired by ancient Indian art and architecture, was Ashima Leena, whose collection, Charukesha, was an ode to Shiva in his jatadhari edifice. The collection had lots of dark moody colours with pops of vermillion and blue and were decorated with architectural motifs, commonly seen in minarets. The silhouettes however were truly international, made to blend the East and West influences just right for the modern AL woman.

The label Nikasha also had a very beautiful nostalgic collection called ‘Lilly’. This one was a pure celebration of femininity, with Indian-wear filled with Victorian inspired chitz prints, light embroidery work and a lot of delicate florals in ivory, pink and coral.

Of the designers who played with lots of colours, we loved what Karishma Shahani Khan did with her label, Ka.Sha’s collection. Her collection was filled with vibrant hues in loud geometric prints on clothes that are intriguing, versatile and fluid enough to fit any wardrobe and multiple styling. We loved what they did with the upcycled jackets to adhere to their zero waste policy, showing us that sustainable fashion can be fun.

Pallavi Singhee also played with colour and her collection, Foliage by Verb featured the bohemian goddess in all her glory. With rich colours, assymetrical hemlines and silhouettes and a lot of juxtaposition of stripes and florals, this collection was made for the woman who wears art and not clothes.

The other very interesting bohemian collection of the day was Malini Ramini’s Nomad. Inspired by tribal motifs and gypsy culture, this collection was a rich assembly of kaftans, capes hoodies and saris in rich, earthy colours. We loved the texture of the collection with various materials used like leather, beads and fringes.

A couple of designers played with the dark mood and we loved what they did with it. Siddhart Tytler was inspired by the after-life and the departure of the soul post death and used a lot of blacks and greys in his elegant designs for a collection that carries his familiar structured cuts and silhouettes perfectly.

Namrata Joshipura’s collection was also dark and edgy but much younger and sassier. It had a very metal/punk rock element to it with a lot of velvet, graphic tees and silver embellishments.

Our designers also turned to art for inspiration, like Shivan and Narresh who put together a series of designs inspired by the art of Viennese expressionist painter, Egon Schiele. The collection is bold, features a lot of rich colours used in Egon’s early works and also a lot of handcrafted Skein Work for an effect that is opulent and mesmerizing.  We loved how they reinvent classics with new silhouettes.

Schulen Fernandes for Wendell Rodricks also took a lot of inspiration from modernist art in her collection, The Cubist Rose. The collection reinterprets the rose with a Cubist geometricity, adding layers of texture, through metallic leather, organza and satin, ensuing bright designs that are very Wendell-esque with their minimalism.

Day 3 reminded us that fashion is art and when the two worlds become one, the magic that happens is incomparable. Be sure to check out our updates on the final day of the #AIFWAW17, to celebrate this art form one last time this week.