Sanchita displays woman power; Namrata gets sporty; Payal’s chintz won hearts; Bodice keeps it clean and boyish while Mrinalini’s effective shirt dresses and strip jackets were impactful
Yoko Ono as many would believe was behind the split of the legendary Beatles, but Sanchita Ajjampur paid her a tribute of sorts by ending her show with the soul-stirring Imagine, a song sung by the 80-year-old widow. And it did kind of go with the theme of her show, Dominatrix, or woman power. “You know, a lot of people don’t like her—but I think she is amazing, quite funky and androgynous,” says Sanchita.
Giving sportswear an edgy feel, Sanchita wooed feminine romanticism in her own bold way by adding patent leather dresses in jade, neon and indigo. What was interesting were the bags which Sanchita says, “could fold like a handkerchief”. Sanchita’s sportswear had her signature dazzle in the stone encrusted caps, chambray pouches and dapper jackets. “I wanted to express the strength of women, so the prints were quite graphic, and hand painted. I added embroidered shirts, sheer dresses, tunics, boyfriend and also grandpa shirts to give it an androgynous mix,” she adds.
Sanchita changed the way a woman views a classic man’s shirt, as she says, it may look simple, but it is pretty versatile. She gave it a new dimension, by making it less corporate-y, more feminine by retaining its evergreen quality.
Payal Pratap’s ode to Chintz, the 17th century technique of printing displayed her admiration for florals, but she intelligently packaged her line, by doing separates, in a world teeming with women, who like to mix and match. In love with pants, all kinds, from dhoti to salwar, her new invention, Payal’s monga silks, khadis and chanderis rustled effortlessly on the catwalk as her flared skirts, gathered jackets and tunic skirts and dresses (you can wear them with or without pants) made a lasting impression.
But the best part of this bright, happy and very cobalt blue line were the earrings, executed in silver, and then gold-plated. Shaped like ivy leaves and enlivened with multi-coloured stones from coral, turquoise and indigo, Payal showed her mastery over accessory design too. “I plan to retail these and we will price them between Rs 6,000-7,000,” she adds.
Sportswear seems to be the flavor of the season, and Namrata Joshipura teamed her ‘The Wanderer’ line with Jeremy Scott winged wonders by Adidas. So the pleasing ice lake printed shorts, dresses and bodysuits got a sporty edge. The zipper details were interesting and the metallics bold, but it was the drape and overlap dresses that instantly won your heart. “I liked the colour of dust, somehow it had this fascinating quality, so I mixed it up with textures and detailing. We have also created fabrics with metallic yarn, to give it that subdued, rusty shine, but there are georgettes and silks too for a great fall,” says Namrata.
If dust was Namrata’s fave, blue was Pratima Pandey’s inspiration. The powerful hue was executed on mid-length crinkled skirts and teamed up with butter soft chanderi tunics. She added cropped pants sometimes to give it a layered look, however, the ombre dyeing, churi sleeves on natty tunics and belted jumpsuits made it a story to remember.
Geometrics, sheer, net and androgyny made a heady combination at Ruchika Sachdeva’s (Bodice) show. Square prints on dresses, uncomplicated jersey skirts, pleated wide-legged pants in rusty browns along with boy shorts worn with cropped tops, displayed young Ruchika’s love for borrowing from a man’s wardrobe. “We kept it clean, subdued and fresh for spring,” she says.
Uncomplicated was the theme of Mrinalini show too with no bling or embroidery, just good old solid colours dominating the line—whites and tans were used to create roomy palazzos, shrugs, sweater dress and dexterously crafted strip jacket.