Lakme Fashion Week - Fall Trends - Color - Pink Passion

It has red as a parent, but it's softer, less violent. Pink is reformed red, as the designers would have you believe. Pink was a recurring theme at the Lakme Fashion Week in all its sweet and sophisticated avatars. From Archana Kochhar and Rina Dhaka, to Drashta, Vivek Kumar and Vj Balhara, the designers unleashed Pink Power in all its hues. Blush, coral, flesh, flush, fuchsia, hot pink, magenta, raspberry, rose, and salmon strutted down the ramp, displaying the versatile side of pink, from playful to glamorous.

Combined with grey, black, blue, green and beige, the pink flaunted its glory, gaining a sharp edge it's often denied. Here are some of my favorites from the Fashion Week.

What do you think of the trend?

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!

Lakme Fashion Week Day 5 - VJ Balhara

The 5th day of the Lakme Fashion Week Summer / Resort 2011, and I finally made it to the venue. I still can’t get over it. My favorite five days of the fashion season, and I missed them! Well, almost. I did make it to the 1.30 show where VJ sent his collection down the runway. I have already given you a preview of the collection, so won’t go into that again. All I can say is that from the very first strain of the music, it was a collection that had the audience swinging and applauding. VJ’s penchant for controlled drama was at play, as “Rustic Sophistication”, a collection in 100% cotton and chanderi unfolded in an inspired palette of lavender, fuchsia, turquoise, white, ivory and olive among other colors. Empire line smocks, cool summer pants, tunics with gathered hems, full pleated tents, drop crotch linen churidars, flared mul blouses, gypsy dresses, paisley embroidered skirts were all unusually styled with colorful birds in models’ hair, and exquisite, understated accessories that complimented the outfits, the collection bore the VJ Balhara stamp of edgy originality through and through. That the show was styled by VJ’s extremely talented wife Cynthia added a special touch to the event.

But what truly took everyone’s breath away was the showstopper, VJ’s muse Carol Gracias in a melon and taupe tiered circular Angarakha had the audience let out a collective gasp. And then, my favorite moment of every VJ show when the ex-model turned designer walked the ramp for a final bow, as the applause kept getting louder. When I first saw VJ’s designs, I saw in them a promise that finds substance with every new collection. Unfortunately, the show has left me with a dilemma. I am weighed down with the urgent need to lose ample weight to fit into one of VJ’s breathtaking designs. That, I hope will happen before his next collection.









All Photos Courtesy: Nitesh Square Photography

Lakme Fashion Week Summer Resort 2010 - Day 3 - Vijay Balhara - Borala Nautch

Flamboyant and vibrant, Vijay Balhara’s Collection “Borala Nautch” had every bit the fun element expected from the young designer. “Borala” means a traditional headgear of the Northern Women, while “Nautch” is derived from the Sanskrit word for dance: Nritya.
“Naach” was a popular dance style performed by young girls known as “Nautch Girls”. The culture of the performing art of Nautch rose to prominence during the later period of Mughal Empire, and the Company Rule . Dance as a form of entertainment and art was a rage with the Princely states and Nawabs. “Borala” was extensively used as a headgear in Vijay’s collection. With the silhouettes inspired from the motifs and the culturally rich clothing style of Nautch Girls, Vijay’s collection is for the Urban Woman not afraid to flaunt her individuality. The vivid color palette shows the designer’s penchant for experimenting. Blending rural influences seamlessly with urban sensibilities, Vijay has truly lived up to his reputation as an emerging designer to watch out for.

Using sensuous, natural fabrics like cotton with satin weave, mul, voil, linen and soft brocades, Vijay has created an interesting line including tunics, dresses, capes, jumpsuits, shrugs, skirts, and churidar pants. Playing with a wide color palette of ivory, beige, orange, pink, fuchsia, yellow and gold, and using embellishments like gold sequined kanthawork, resham thread embroidery, pipe work and cut daana work, Vijay’s collection definitely promises great things to come from his brand VJB.













Vijay takes a bow...

Lakme Fashion Week Summer Resort 2010 Preview - Vijay Balhara

A stylish brand ambassador for his own brand VJB, launched in 2006, Vijay Balhara is no stranger to the world of glamour. As a renowned model, he walked the ramps worldwide, for over 500 shows, strutting down the runway for the topmost brands across the globe. It was this exposure that gave Vijay an inherent sense of style that easily reflects in his designs. Vijay’s show at Lakme Fashion Week Summer Resort 2010, scheduled for 7th March, consolidates Vijay’s position as a promising, emerging designer, as one of the brave new breed that is redefining Indian fashion.
Through VJ B his endeavor is to glamorize his favorite fabric cotton and the centuries old rural Indian block print motifs and silhouettes in the most contemporary way as is evident in his collection “Borala Nautch” 2010
The theme for his Collection, “Borala Nautch” combines two words “Borala” and “Nautch”. Borala is an ornamental head gear used by women in rural North India, while the word “Nautch” is an anglicized version of the word “Naach”, or Nritya (Sanskrit), which means dance. Vijay’s collection takes the best elements of the ethnic, rural silhouettes and motifs, spiked with the rich textures and colors of the Nautch Girls’ clothing. These he blends with the contemporary forms and styles, to create a collection that is perfect for the Urban Indian Woman.
If his past collections, retailed at Mumbai’s leading premium stores like AZA, AMARA and Mogra are anything to go by, this young designer is all set to make true his commitment to taking Indian fashion to the world, one collection at a time.





For event schedule and designer profiles, visit Lakme Fashion Week Site.