That gold is the flavour of the season came through more strongly than ever on day four of the Lakme Fashion Week Wint-er/Festive. The spirit of the strong woman echoed on the ramp in Kaabia and Sasha Grewal’s jewellery ensemble titled “Leone d’oro” that opened the show.
The look was edgy and dramatic. Said to be inspired by the golden lion, the collection had a marked African touch with the king of the jungle’s face appearing on the pendants. Spiked necklace with large rear pendants and cascading chains took centre stage as did the jewelled cuffs and collar-cum-belts.
“Nouveau Gypsy” was yet another side of the “modern woman” as seen through designer Nitya Arora’s eyes. The gold continued to glitter on the ramp with geometric patterns making an appearance this time. The enamel work on chokers, chains, armlets was an instant attention grabber much like the use of colour in precious stones that added a modern twist to the classic metal.
The golden spell was broken by Rohan Arora’s vibrant footwear offering “Item”. As the name suggests, the collection seeks to recreate the flamboyant attitude of the item boys and girls of Bollywood. The women’s range had an innovative use of sheep skin, multi-coloured silk and brocade with even ghungroos dangling from some of them. But the end result was far from harmonious. The men’s range, however, sported comfortable no-nonsense styles for moccasins and lace-ups with clever touches of intricate traditional embroidery.
For a collection that appeared confused not only in its silhouettes but also in the marriage of colours, Tanya Sharma’s lineup drew a fair amount of applause from the front rows. The designer combined the achkan and the tuxedo to form traditional ethnic garments for women.
Accessories were back on the ramp with Veev’s “Second Skin”, a well-crafted collection of bags, purses and clutches.
The “sari” state of affairs on day three spilled over to Bhairavi Jaikishen’s “Wonderful World” the next day.
In the evening, however, drama trampled over fashion in Abhisek Dutta’s show. The Bane-like masks on models was a gimmick that the clothes failed to explain.
Overall, day four presented a mixed picture with just a handful of creations to write home about. By sundown, all hopes were pinned on Shivan & Naresh and Swapnil Shinde to pull us out of the fashion slump. Add to this, Sanchita Ajjampur’s ballet-inspired finale generated a fair amount of curiosity as well.