Lakme Fashion Week 2006-07

This years Lakme Fashion Week came and went leaving a flurry of excitement in its wake. LFW was held in Mumbai from the 28th march to the 1st of April, and showcased the summer collections of designers from Malhotra to Valaya, and also consisted of seminars and worshops centering on Indian Fashion and its inception into global fashion culture.

Ritu Beri Halter Sari>>>

The general trend in this fashion week was a fusion of the west and east, and designers all dressed their models in traditional garments with a contemporary twist. The most widely seen colours this season are on the warm side of the colour wheel- from plum and berry to bronzes and burnt orange. White however played a prominent part in updating traditional wear such as shalwars, and as i predicted Stripes were a must and were featured in almost all of the shows.

Rocky S opened this fashion week with a tribute to the duality of woman and his collection certainly reflected it by pairing some more flashy and risque pieces with more elegant and demure fashion. This is another trend arising from LFW- mixing pieces to reflect you're own personal style, from a t-shirt with a glamourous skirt to a rock star jacket <<, its all about varying the formality of your outfit so that it is a reflection of you. Rocky S ranged from hues of pink to champagne and even forest green, with gold and black as staple colours. This schowcase was one of the highlights of this Fashion Week and one my personal favourites.

The Satya Paul collection was a hit this week with a range of wear focussing on showing the versatility of Indian traditional wear. Colours are rich and vibrant and featured gold and blue as accents for the entire show, and geometrical prints rarely seen on saris and lehngas while eye catching were a bit too 'hectic' for the many infoldings of these material rich pieces but some captured the right combination of western fashion and eastern culture.

Check out the stunner in the background!

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‘Freedom’, Manish Malhotra’s offering for the Fall/Winter season bordered on costuming to some but also scored high marks in my book for it’s over the top and daring creations. He challenges the fundamentals of Indian fashion by experimenting with materials from lace to heavy silk in innovative and inspiring ways. While receiving mixed reviews from critcs in Mumbai, his courage in designing this radical collection must b e commended, and we can see from this collection that he is indeed ‘free’ from the norms governing Indian Fashion.

Ritu Beri rounded of this fashion extravaganza in a flourish with a return to old Western styles. Flouncing skirts and exuberant ball gowns while theatrical were very dramaticand captured the hearts of fashion critics and Bollywood Celebrities alike (Katrina Kaif even gracing the catwalk), and the corset trend which were all the rage in Milan and Paris Fashion Weeks also made an appearance in this showcase fit for the Indian Cowgirls and boys of today.

Other memorable shows included a tribute to the comic strip ‘Tintin’ by the House of Valaya, as well as the collection

of Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla- ‘The Boys’ in the Indian fashion circuit. Some designers to take note of in the near future are Abhishek Gupta and Ritu Beri whose creations left buyers like Harrod’s craving for more. All in all LFW exceeded all expectations and proved why India is one of the foremost fashion forces in the East.


…C’etait fini!!!! Alors here comes the worst part- where ppl get to crtitique my first ever fashion week review. Alright then do your worst…