Zealous showstoppers, monochromatic renditions, wispy 80s, endearing Schiffli and some Shibori made day two of AIFW SS’18 whimsical
By Asmita Aggarwal
What happens when your showstopper overshadows your outfits, does a rather memorable jig and makes sure her presence is felt in an amusing manner, drawing attention away from the lovely silver draped dress that she flaunted? Well, you quickly make peace with it, just what Nikhita Tandon did when star of the critically acclaimed film Lipstick Under My Burkha, Aahana Kumra, made us all giggle!
The bell shaped skirt is having a moment on the catwalk this year, and Nikhita, known for her sexy vibe, offered these monochromatic beauties in sheer and sometimes emblazoned with tassels. Translucent ruffled tops were teamed up with draped skirts revealing toned thighs underneath as well as cowl sleeves as backless gowns brought in a whiff of the 80s —— the era of scrunchies, side ponies and four finger rings as well as Madonna’s Material Girl.
If you tell someone you have named your daughter Dali, most would think, it refers to a stem, if you are not aware of the surrealist artist Salvador Dali. Just the name Gursi Singh and Amrita Khanna of Lovebirds gave their little daughter, who this year, in their SS’18 line elevated the austere white shirt into a dress by elongating the hemlines.
Everything they do, is roomy, relaxed and heavily accessorised with layering a technique where their pair up most unlikely bedfellows.
They further accentuated it, with just larger-than-life polka dots quite like Loewe and Jacquemus did this year (Yayoi Kusama termed polkas as infinity nets) and carefully placed pleats.
Each piece works as a separate and has a distinct identity of its own, like the mocha coloured striped pants that fell many inches above the ankles or the engaging piping details on their trench coat look-a-alikes.
Vineet Bahl is a master of Indian wear, so when he attempts a pure Western line, it always has the hue that he loves, buttery white. This season, his peasant blouses, chambray dresses with nifty flowers and cropped, peg denim pants with basket bags may have been inspired by Imphal, but they look more global than Manipuri.
Schiffli or man-made lace is what Hemant and Nandita extensively played with in their collection, Liberte Amore, inspired by love. Tiered dresses, prints and ruffles told a romantic tale dipped in longing and displayed through frills. “While there are separate pieces, we wanted it to look like a uniform so that everything matches with something else,” explains Hemant. Known for their boho aesthetic that has won them many fans including America’s biggest chain Anthropologie, this time it was all about wispy skirts, tapered ankles and one shoulder blouses.
The spirit of abandon was carried through by Rina Dhaka, in gypsy influences furthering the concept with the petite Bollywood newbie Nidhi Agarwal, who fits the quintessential “pretty girl” tag. Though Rina’s shibori was well-executed and the pin tucks cool, as well as the ikat dress that were a far cry from her addiction to sheer and lycra, which she relinquished for an easy-breezy SS’18. “There’s a lot of layering. Since I’m a Delhiite, I spend half the year in white and the other half in black. So, doing a pre-dominantly white collection couldn’t have been better,” she explains.
