It’s the second season of the combined FDCI x Lakme Fashion Week Winter/Festive 2021. FDCI is showcasing digitally through fashion films produced by designers while LFW will have marquee shows live on the runway. Tarun Tahiliani, Anamika Khanna, Gaurav Gupta, Monisha Jaisingh and Rajesh Pratap Singh for Satyapaul are few such shows.
FDCI is still following the digital route as COVID protocol demands so. In the previous season of ‘Phygital’ showcasing, LFW had the physical runway shows at their drive-in-theatre at the Jio World Centre, with fashionistas watching the show from the comfort of their luxury sedans. This time the runway shows have audiences on seats that are held at the convention centre.
One new thing this time at the fashion week was the foray of fashion in the Non-Fungible Token arena of the crypto-world. Art as NFTs have been a roaring success and now we got to see how fashion does. Revolutionising the Indian fashion industry, WazirX NFT Marketplace joined hands with FDCI x Lakmé Fashion Week and introduced Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) by couturier Manish Malhotra.
Manish Malhotra posted 5 items on WazirX NFT Marketplace and they were bought off instantly. Among the digital assets in offer were a ‘Deepika Padukone Saree Sketch’ – Manish Malhotra’s hand-drawn sketch is one of the most popular royal blue saree worn by Deepika Padukone, who played the role of ‘Naina Talwar’ in the movie ‘Yeh Jawani Hai Diwani.’
Another one was a ‘Kareena Kapoor outfit GIF’ – Manish Malhotra created a custom-made constellation sketch for megastar Kareena Kapoor to make a starry appearance on the red carpet of HT’s Most Stylish Awards, 2019. The GIF illustrates the merge of traditional art and modern technology. Even the ‘Alia Bhatt sketch’ was a hit. It had Manish Malhotra’s Chikankari sketch.
Paras and Shalini of Geisha Designs showcased their festive collection through a short film. Frills and ruffles played a vital role to highlight the feminine line, interesting ensembles were the deep red lehenga and choli in a modern avatar. The lehenga was encrusted with 3D appliqués and was paired with a ruffled off shoulder choli.
Boleros over bustiers, some with cut-out long-sleeves and an embellished waistcoat inspired choli, brought a fun element to the collection. Showing a fashion direction towards exaggerated puffed sleeves with the long skirts, the designing duo ensured that drama was at its peak during the line-up of clothes. For the coming season it is all about “New Beginnings” in a stylish mode from Geisha Designs.
JJ Valaya often draws inspiration from ancient civilisations and for the Festive 2021 collection JJ took to the civilisation of the Turks and the Balkans. This was evident from the use of rich fabrics, intricate detailing, novel prints and of course some ornate embellishments. His “Rumeli” Festive collection at the FDCI x Lakmé Fashion Week was another glittering offering of splendid creations.
The show presented digitally had magnificent bridal lehengas in stunning red and jewel shades with lavish embroidery. Cholis were eye-catching with faux-yokes, tie-up backs and puffed sleeves . Tiny boleros (a rage this season), floor skimming robes and belted (huge trend) sarees added to the grandeur of the look.
Men’s wear told a regal story with ornate cummerbunds over sherwanis.
Tarun Tahiliani’s reunion was the first physical runway show of the fashion week that was held at the Jio World. Post -pandemic, a runway show with an audience was reminiscent of pre-pandemic days. “It was an invitation to a sundowner where we met loved ones again, and celebrated our togetherness, our souls and our lives”, said Tarun Tahiliani.
Showcasing his collection in an elaborate runway, Tahiliani had 10 capsule collections. He showcased the Couture Collection too that was digitally showcased at the India Couture Week. Apart from that we saw a lot of modernity in this show and tons of novelty in ways a saree can be draped, cascading lehengas and cowled dhoti-pants. Shararas with pockets, saree draped like a dress, belted sarees and striped lehenga paired with a Mexican bolero looked very, very chic. Maestro of drapes, Tarun did showcase some amazing gowns too.
Text by Jaydeep Ghosh
Image Courtesy: FDCI x Lakme FashionWeek, Tarun Tahiliani, Anamika Khanna, Gaurav Gupta, Monisha Jaisingh and Rajesh Pratap Singh
Find more about FDCI x Lakme FashionWeek and Designers:
https://www.taruntahiliani.com/
