Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week Opens

The 14th edition of Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week opened in New Delhi on Sunday 25th October, 2009. This four-day extravaganza will last up to October 28. In this one of the two biggest fashion trade events, organized by Fashion Design Council of India, 175 buyers from within the country and outside have been invited. The event will have 110 stalls of designers with 66 designers showcasing on the ramp for added participation.

On the first day of Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week, Designers Ashish Soni showcased his Spring Summer ‘10 Collection, which had the top of the line models sashaying down the ramp in mainly black colored western outfits. Bollywood actress Neha Dhupia displayed a creation of designer Kaviat Bhatia at the show on Sunday, Oct. 25, 2009. The first day of the Fashion Week displayed an impressive array of collections incorporating influences from Europe to traditional India.

The fashion show will witness many debutant designers including Wendell Rodricks and Narendra Kumar apart from welcoming back the top fashion designers like Ritu Beri, Tarun Tahiliani and Rohit Bal.

The Prospective Collections at the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week

New as well as established fashion designers have interesting collections to display at the fashion week.
Rodricks has an interesting line-up of clothing for modern women of all shapes and sizes. While he has certain sleeveless yet conservative tunics and tops, some of his outfits has thigh-high cuts and broad cuts on the sides, which not many women would dare to wear.

Designer Reynu Tandon has her all new collection in threadwork. One of the collection of her Spring Summer’10 wear will also be seen in Paris. Tandon says, “I thought I will make one luxury collection for the Indian market as well as the international market to push boundaries”.

According to Designer Prashant Verma, “Apart from the 80s’ look, there is a trend of clean lines and geometric angular lines globally, that’s supposed to signify new hope”. There is a growing trend of art deco on clothes.

Gauri & Nainika Karan’s show ranged from creamy flesh tones to brilliant jewel hues and a fabric assembly of chiffons, georgette’s and crepes. It had an influence of European fashion history.

Designer Ritu Kumar says, through her recently launched label, ‘Label’, she wishes to satisfy the needs of the younger section of the population, as there is a great demand for fusion ethnic wear among the younger lot.

'Gandhi chic' Fashion Show Held to Promote Handwoven Clothing

A fashion show- 'Gandhi chic' – was organized at Kolkata to attract todays youth towards the handwoven fabric 'khadi' promoted by the father of the Nation. The show was held on 2nd October to commemorate the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. The show displayed a range of homespun sarees of east India along with other apparels. The "homespun" fabrics were championed by Mahatma Gandhi in the 1930s during his struggle against British rule as a way of boosting the rural economy and showing pride in products produced in India.

"The show reflects a new trend. Indian youths are taking it as new fashion," said Tajas Gandhi, a well-known local designer who is not related to the Mahatma. On the other hand, Mamabendra Mukherjee, West Bengal small cottage industries minister said, "The government is promoting 'Gandhi chic' to rejuvenate the hand-woven cotton and silk industry in the state, where unemployment is growing."

Thousands of people could be seen at the venue who came to watch the show. The unique fashion show featured well-known film stars and actors from film industry. Locket Chatterjee, one of West Bengal's best-known film actresses also did catwalk wearing red-bordered white cotton sari.

Demand for hand-woven fabrics has suffered over the last few decades after synthetics became popular in the market. However, Bengali designers say new styles and bright shades are increasingly attracting young people. This can also be seen in internationally famed fashion designers' works such as those of Sabyasachi Mukherjee who has started the mission of popularizing traditional Indian hand made sarees and other clothing. He also introduced chhotu saree, (which is worn till ankles) keeping in view the comfort for today's woman.