S and N, the brothers Shantnu and Nikhil have replaced the mini “It” bag and given it to men, in dhotis and sexiness with abundant leg show for women along with dollops of shimmer. While quite the opposite was post-Soviet modest label Measure, which revealed the former Communist country is now embracing sheer, wraps and cowl skirts.
By Asmita Aggarwal
Tahira Kashyap is a cancer survivor and she is the much better half of the actor Ayushman Khurana, who often croons and gets away by winning a million hearts. This time his wife was in the spotlight to pay homage to Shantnu and Nikhil’s parents Nikki and Rishi whom they lost recently. The boys growing up were always closer to their mom, at home there was a traditional role reversal, Nikki was the provider, Rishi the caregiver, a truly Modern Family.
The LFW XFDCI 2024 line declared, the new dress code for men is dhotis, draped and worn with structured sharp jackets in charcoals. And women too got a bit sexier this time, for the brothers, who got them into corsets, bustiers and shimmer for spring.
The lehengas sobered down and converted into skirts that you can wear with cropped jackets, later both can be worn with your denims or a cool white blouse, so S and N understood women like separates, in their case, a bit of extra glam added. Cinched waist, laser cut belts, animal prints, body huggers, the mood was a red-carpet event where you need shine, but you got to make black work.
Among the two, Shantnu lets Nikhil do the talking and prefers to take the backseat, maybe that’s the reason why this equation works so well and has been for the last 20 years, the older brother allows the younger one to take the spotlight. S and N Men this year, are choosing to wear ankle length pants, while they decided to give women Matrix-style coats, velvet draped saris, silver short dresses with sheer play, but the cool quotient was the “It” bags or minis were carried by men for a change. You can wear S and N skirts everywhere, to a party, cocktail, mehndi and even a night out with friends, they made it versatile.
On another note, the label from Russia, Dagestan, along the stunning Caspian Sea, came designer Zainab Saidulaeva’s cutting-edge collection “TOI” brought to India by the FDCI, Measure was an ode to post-Communalism Russia. This season of spring has seen a love of ivory and ebony, as style gurus have discovered its prowess, it is subtle yet impactful, so Measure the label from post-Soviet Russia, introduced us to faux fur asymmetrical draped cover ups, frayed and tasselled skirts worn under long coats, in pristine whites.
As Russian designers are making waves internationally whether it is Demna Gvasalia who has revolutionised Balenciaga or his brother Guram, with the label Vetements, Russia has now become a potential market for global fashion business. Designer, photographer, and poster boy Gosha Rubchinskiy was also noticed by Comme Des Garcons as the Cold War never allowed the style world to grow in the former Soviet Union.
There is a hunger in Russia which now has been divided into 15 states of the Russian Federation, stretching from the Baltic and Black seas to the Pacific Ocean, as they are now exposed to a new world, Measure is a case in point, the shapes that included tie ups, nattily cut jackets, flowers blooming under sheer layers, ruching and dropped waists, Zainab added fabric manipulation, pillow-esque wraps on shoulders.
The only exception of an otherwise grey sky palette, was a bright sea green cowl hem dress. Layering was her mainstay, as well as, the kimono style dresses that caressed the runway, she also used exaggeration in her favour. With cuffs and tie ups bigger and better, she gave women volume, but with restraint as well as quilted jackets.