AIFW'18: Bringing To Life Designs By The Fashion Frat
The Amazon India Fashion week (AIFW) Autumn Winter 2018 concluded on 18th March in the capital. FDCI along with partners Nexa automobiles and Honor smart phones presented this year's showing. The 5-day event saw an amalgam of designers show case their ready to wear Autumn Winter line. Creativity was on full display as imagination ran amock on the ramp. Each designer had their own vision for Autumn Winter which was infused with a distinct punch.
Rina Dhaka had a few themes running simultaneously from 'Billionaire's Magpie' to 'Languid glamour' as the models sashayed down the ramp in oversized jackets, pants and dresses. It was a rerun of the 70's and 90's with a retro edge. Big shouldered jackets, Plaid trousers, flowing dresses with floral on floral print, along with other non fitted silhouettes that are expected to be the trend were all put on show. While speaking about her collection Rina said, "It is a vintage vibe in a new look. What is going to really dominate the fashion scene for a while is the look from your grandpa's wardrobe. Everything big."
Speaking of vintage, Kavita Bhartia's collection 'Once upon a jewel' is inspired by a graduated series of floral and 19th century Victorian jewelry motifs. She has redefined her favorite silhouettes - The Indian skirt, long dresses with variety of capes, using traditional materials. The fabrics consist of crinkle, silk organzas, chiffons and textures. The colour palette comprising of elephant grey, taupe, coral peach, midnight blue, poppy red, turmeric yellow and sage green gave the collection a dreamy feel.
"Bringing Life to" was the whole idea behind the collection by designer Pawan Sachdeva who specializes in menswear. The collection 'Animate' is all about walking into the wild with pictorials of animals on prints and bordering embroidery in shades of black, white, blue, tan and grey with a splash of colour. The silhouettes are clean and modern with belts and capes to fine tune the look. The footwear in fur and kimono jackets were especially eye catching. Speaking of the Autumn winter trend Pawan said, "Flared or loose trousers, shrugs, capes and layering are all here to stay." The jackets in the collection come in a variety with zipper or belt detailing.
The fashion week saw a lot of experimentation around fabrics. The collection 'Metamorphosis' by Gautam Gupta is characterized by the use of indigenous fabric crafted by merging Eri Silk yarn and Mulberry Silk yarn. Gautam says, "Since our label Autre is into developing and encouraging handloom, we decided to experiment with this fabric for what we call our 'Luxury prêt line'."The look comprises of comfortably fitted silhouettes such as trench coats, capes, jackets and dresses with a hint of layering and overlapping. There is a distinct appeal to the collection with the bold usage of eclipse blue and vivid hues of violet grey and white. The hand-woven pattern is a distinct reminiscence of the French Art Deco. According to Gautam, "Monochromes and geometric patterns will be persistent throughout the year."
