Two Bollywood heart-stoppers, Kangana Ranaut and Sonam Kapoor and four legendary gurus, who crafted innovation in design through their iconic offerings, created a rainbow of hues for the LMIFW SS’20 grand finale
By Asmita Aggarwal
One of the most independent and outspoken minds in Bollywood, Kangana Ranaut doing her not-so-characteristic jig on the runway along with four industry veterans— the reticent Rajesh Pratap, Anamika Khanna, Wendell Rodricks, and Manish Arora, gave the LMIFW SS’20 a befitting end. The ruffled skirt and white blouse that the Queen star wore was in keeping with her personality, quite monochromatic with no space for shades of grey, as the theme #MyFashionMyFamily took centrestage.
The ramp reverberated with theatrics from dancers to glow in the dark outfits, with Sonam Kapoor on the front row to show support for her long-time ally Anamika Khanna. The Kolkata-based designer has wowed a generation of devotees with her attention to detail, superlative embroideries, wispy capes, ingenious dhotis, and of course, the robust mix of ruffles, with appliqué, sequins, kantha, cutwork and fabric manipulations on pantsuits, skirts, tunics that were finished to perfection. The ear cuffs, we are guessing are an addition from her sister Suhani Pittie’s contribution to this line and went with the ethos of making each piece timeless, something you could wear for time immemorial. The beauty of Anamika lies in the fact that she is able to blend almost seamless opposing colours, fabric swirls and embroidered neckpieces with a tribal aesthetic into a modern spirit.
Rajesh Pratap Singh, known for his anti-fit, non-conformist offerings, paid a tribute to polka dots, maybe in remembrance of the famed artist Yayoi Kusama or S. H. Raza’s ‘bindu’, which danced on his otherwise white palette almost making them pop. The once heart throb of the modelling world Muzammil Ibrahim is now back to rule the catwalks after a hiatus and was seen supporting an industry, he once led not by the power of his rippling muscles or being every designer’s favourite boy, but humility.
From the land of the sea, sun and sand, Wendell Rodricks’ mesmerising whites made a play for austerity as the statuesque Kanishtha Dhankar worked the swimsuit like no one else can. Ensembles, which define freedom as well as comfort, the Goa-based style guru has been one of the strongest voices in the industry both on and off the ramp. On the notes of the 70’s We are Family, the chart-topping number by Sister Sledge, came the kitschy Manish Arora, who ushered in his exclusive brand of exaggeration with bows, pink, gold and rainbow-hued wedges. The MA brand of quirky-ness could be observed in the Saturn-with-rings-shaped bags along with beating red hearts appliquéd on his roomy pants as well as sling bags, and the accessory of the year the teeny-weeny ‘It’ bag, as the stage rotated for a 3D display.