#LFW2017: Real Women Took The Runway By Storm On Day 3

#LFW2017: Real Women Took The Runway By Storm On Day 3

Blame it on modesty. Payal Singhal isn’t pompous about her sizeable clout in the NRI customer segment who vies for her peppy, urbane take on resort wear. The Summer-Resort 2017 moodboard revisited the noir romanticism of the classic Agatha Christie whodunit, Death On The Nile, updated with the immediacy of what women want, today.

 

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Payal Singhal

 

A bevy of models capered down the runway with puckered lips in the darkest shade of plum to the aching melancholy of the Oscar-nominated La La Land movie soundtrack. A sartorial succession of reprised resort-wedding essentials included beaded kaftans, scallop embroidered capes, cropped jackets, and low-crotch dhotis accompanied the lehengas palazzos, mid-riff baring cholis, and the cropped anarkalis.

 

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#TagFree by Kshitij Kankaria

 

The whole point of the #tagfree show was to be there. It wasn’t for any artistic or utilitarian reason. It was to celebrate flirty freedom of diverse individuality, beyond the confined typecast.

Curated by Kshitij Kankaria, a motley crew of all-shapes-and-sizes real women, including singer/songwriter Kavya Trehan, blogger Shereen Sikka, fashion consultant Angelique Raina, stylist Sujala Newar, hair artist Sapna Bhavnani, transgender-and-proud Anjali Lama, and stylist Pasham Alwani replaced the skinny army of models. Kshitij styled the tribe in clothes by Rajesh Pratap Singh, Bodice, Sanjay Garg, Suket Dhir, MiuNiku, Dhruv Kapoor, and Sanchita. In their severe walk and impassive faces, the women dared to be audacious, and hoped to be heard.

 

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Ritu Kumar

 

Ritu Kumar. The name invokes a legacy of paisley motifs, lush textiles, indigenous crafts, and desirable bridal wear. Her ready-to-wear line ‘Label’ though is a filtered down, affordable interpretation of similar sensibility. As the title suggests, the latest collection ‘Maharaja Pop’ pitted ideas of military with royalty, tailoring with exuberance of colours and screen-printed tapestry motifs. The collection was fairly simple and utterly commercial with pleated skirts, summery maxis, bomber jackets, relaxed trousers, and her bestsellers – shirt-dresses, dashing towards your next summer wardrobe.

 

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Falguni & Shane Peacock

 

You need to own a certain sensibility, or aspire to be red-carpet regular to feast on Falguni & Shane Peacock’s view of fashion. The designer duo looked at the constellation of stars, and translated it in their S/R 2017 clothes, literally. Everything was in neutral tones, with embellishments (sequins and crystals, and feather details) taking on the heavyweight job of the fairly square line-up, including sexy bikinis, skimpy sheath dresses, and social-media-worthy gowns, onward.

 

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Narendra Kumar

 

The simplicity of the fabric and his powerful grasp on minimalism has made Narendra Kumar a sort of maverick. With ‘Millenials’, the designer took us on a whirlwind ride trampling through the urban jungle in tailored linen trousers and jackets. Wilderness-inspired flora-fauna prints mingled with earthy olive greens, khakis, and salmon with the occasional pop of aqua hues of blue and green.

The underlying – boys coming of age – theme beckoned a light-hearted approach, often poking jokes at the seriousness that surrounds fashion. There were boys wearing makeup, while women wore ties. In a way, a commentary on ‘ungendered’ clothing, but executed in assembly of relaxed cheekiness.

Follow Shweta on Twitter @holysoly.

Shweta Shiware

Shweta began writing on fashion when it wasn’t quite the opium of urban India. With a master's degree from London’s Central Saint Martins, she has previously worked as Fashion Features Editor with Grazia India, and authored a coffee table book titled Aharya, tracking the aesthetic attire at the Kumbh Mahaparv. Sh​weta​ is currently enjoying ​the liberating space of freelance​ writ​ing​ with beloved long black ​by her side.

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