March 20, 2021 Asmita Aggarwal

Imprinted on the Psyche

Masaba keeps it easy-breezy with pop summer prints; sisters Gauri and Nainika declare white is always right; while Suneet Varma celebrates mirror work

By Asmita Aggarwal

She has been in the news for her endearingly honest Netflix series Masaba Masaba, an unabashed portrayal of her life but more than her tribulations navigating Mumbai’s social scene, what shone through was the indomitable spirit her mother Neena Gupta possesses.

Fleeting glimpses of this courage can be seen in the iconic batsman Viv Richards’ daughter too. She unlike anyone in the industry quite early on learnt to monetise her brand name, resulting in collaborative efforts that sailed her through hard times. At 32, she famously turned a bride for Sabyasachi, courted Tribe by Amrapali, Puma to Titan and Nykaa, she has been a queen of associations which helped her work with corporates with ease.

 Lately, Masaba has become reticent or maybe choosy about who she wants to connect with, but in the past paid tributes to her mentors Wendell Rodricks, this year it was offering her loyal clientele just comfort. The most interesting part about the design spectrum is, it can peddle two worlds effortlessly.  A world of prints carefree, easy-breezy just like the spring wind that Masaba highlighted in her FDCI x LFW line complete with bindis, a recurring leitmotif in her brand imagery, to her adorning elaborate lehengas at Raas Devigarh!

Masaba’s pop prints are irreverent and they cover a huge range from the animal kingdom to foliage and geometrics as winged birds flew all over her jackets and kaftans. The live presentation at a parking lot was shy on accessories with the exception of the omnipresent white sneakers and Mojaris. And she didn’t forget lehengas worn with sequinned capes, or partnering them up with gold foil printed jackets, as saris in the Pantone accent colour of the year sunshine yellow offered a happy palette.

If this season you are thinking boho, Nidhi Yasha has the answer, she played with tassels in her ode to Sevillana or gypsy dress as lace intermingled with transparency and floral prints for a relaxed mood.  The big, bold, roomy sleeve, tiered capes, flute sleeves and flamenco dancer roses neatly tucked in buns met leather corsets reminding you of a Western set in the 50s with Clint Eastwood waiting to emerge with his outback hat complete with a bullet hole in place.  Embroidered shimmering waists rubbed shoulders with high waists, as roomy pants complete with ruffles transported you to a time gone by.

They say white is always right and when you mix it up with florals it makes for an effective summer staple. Sisters Gauri and Nainika made sure we had both in lighter renditions with their swirls and ruffles in place. The bold red lips were in sync with the exaggerated flowers along with chunky belts for cinched waists.

Day four at the FDCI X LFW saw Outryt by Ajio which offered trendy wardrobe essentials at a reasonable price whether it is denims or jute totes.  While, the rajah of shine Suneet Varma welcomed the new season of hope, prayer and his extravagant lehengas with sequinned bodices. Hints of mirror work,  baby pink lehengas brushed with net and lace as draped cholies, embroidered full skirts in crimson and of course plunging necklines, made their way. Suneet hasn’t let the post-pandemic despair keep him away from adding a glimmer of light in his offerings, unapologetically telling us that the human race hasn’t lost its will to celebrate the magic called life!

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