Lakme Fashion Week – Day 3 – Vj Balhara

I am thinking cupcakes and cheese cakes. And dreamy, flowing silhouettes in ethereal, form defying details. Vj unveiled 25 stunning creations from his collection “Age of Innocence”, and celebrated defiantly, the return to honest-to-goodness designing. Making a tongue-in-cheek styling statement, by adorning the models’ hair with colorful cupcakes and cheesecake slices, (his stylist wife Cynthia’s contribution) Vj brought out his characteristic drama, never taking himself too seriously, yet knowing what women want from his fashion statements.
A welcome trend that I have seen in Indian fashion, at least in collections created by designers determined to take Indian fashion to new grounds, is the lack of “bling”. Usually, you take heavy fabrics, put tons of embroidery, sequins, thread work, and you have a collection. Fortunately, Vj does not take that path. Sure, there was cut daana, pipe work and mukaish in her collection. But they were there merely to complement the elaborate fabric detailing that has become Vj’s forte.

Using Chanderi and brocade with ethnic motifs, Vj enthralled the potential buyers and fashion followers alike, with aqua, hot pink, and vibrant green mixed with grey, olive and cream. Silhouettes varied from floor length dresses and smocks to long skirts, chogas and tiered diaphanous tunics. Sheer and fluid fabrics like chiffon, cotton, mull and plisse materials with hints of gold motifs made this a collection every woman would go to bed dreaming of.

The show opened with a white tiered gown with brocade bodice and a patched hem. A grey tiered mini with green lining, drop crotch pants with a flaring top and cropped jacket, a flowing grey and fuchsia outfit, a powder blue full length floor-sweeper teamed with a bolero, and a fluid, vibrant green outfit were among my favorites. Waistcoats with interesting lapels and detailing in soft pastels were recurrent in the collection, teamed with kurtas, gowns, and dresses. The show-stopper was a shimmering gold cape over a plisse smock gown, a fitting finale to a dazzling collection.
So, Day 3 of the Lakme Fashion Week is over. I know I am really behind on the reviews, but madness has unfolded, and you all will soon have all the Indian fashion trends reports soon. For now, I am craving one of Cynthia’s super-adorable cupcakes. For my hair!