The four-day fashion extravaganza — Bangalore Fashion Week — commenced in the City on Thursday. The event has gotten bigger and better, with the best of fashion designers and models on board this season.
The first day opened with a few young designers such as Aiman Agha and Armaan Randhawa, Mandeep Litt, Kaneeka Aggarwal and Rahul Bhalla — most of them up-and-coming designers from Mumbai and Delhi. The evening closed with Swapnil Shinde and Pria Kataria Puri's stunning collection. The two top designers of the country had come up with something quite wacky: their wild side was evident in the collection.
Designers Aiman Agha and Armaan Randhawa were the first to hit the ramp with their stunning collection that was inspired by Persian embroidery, architecture and carpentry. The collection was a melange of sophistication and elegance, with a hint of structuring. It was a journey, unravelling fresh colours, silhouettes and tapestry while keeping abreast of age-old traditions. "We've played around with a lot of embroidery and we've chosen neutral colours — but red has been smuggled in to give the collection an attractive twist.
We love everything Persian and hence the cuts and designs have a Persian slant," explain Aiman and Armaan.
Next was Mandeep Litt, with his work titled, 'Working With Relaxation'. It revolved around the idea of giving the clothes a semi-formal look, making them easy for daily wear. "It's important that one looks stylish and is comfortably dressed to work. I've experimented with fabric and given the collection an Indian twist. The colours that I've used are soothing to the eye," says Mandeep.
Young designer Kaneeka Aggarwal's collection, titled, 'Flower and Fire', is what caught everybody's attention. Talking about her inspiration, Kaneeka says she draws her imagination from women. "A woman is the personification of strength, beauty and passion. I have largely stuck to traditional motifs and given every garment a western twist. The garments are all flowing and fitted at the waist," she says. The showstopper was Radhika Gandhi, who wore a heavy gold-knitted velvet jacket and a matching black wraparound. "It's definitely heavy but I love my look and would love to wear it to a wedding," says Radhika
Another impressive range was by Goa-based designer Cherylyne Estibeiro. Her work was inspired by the jazz, glamour, parties, free love and cigarettes of the roaring 1920s, combined with the French historic attire of the 17th and 18th centuries. The garments were all figure-hugging and boned, with pulled and tied-up backs and fake hips.
Cherylyne says, "I am inspired by the Victorian era and anything steeped in history excites me. We think that people from the 1920s were not fashion conscious, but that's not true. Every era has its own style," explains Cherylyne. The venue was jam-packed for Swapnil Shinde's show, in which he tried to portray eroticism at its best. The collection was futuristic with snake-like garments. The models wore props that were creatively designed and sported eight-inch heels with lights flickering on their sides.
"My biggest challenge with this collection was to convince my models to wear my wacky stuff and carry it off on eight-inch heels. The naagin (snake) finds a prominent place in all the garments. It's all futuristic and wild," says Swapnil. The showstopper for Swapnil was Huma Qureshi, who was dressed in an elegant yellow gown. The evening ended with Pria Kataria Puri's collection, 'Summer Love: Young, wild and free'. The showstopper was actress Zoya Morani.
People poured in towards late evening and most left completely satisfied. Arun Sanjay, a fashion designer, says, "Bangalore is a happening place for fashion and I am glad that events like this give us an insight into the latest collection."
Suja Srikanth, a student, adds, "It's not everyday that we get to see the work of such eminent designers on a common fore. This is a learning experience for me."
The first day opened with a few young designers such as Aiman Agha and Armaan Randhawa, Mandeep Litt, Kaneeka Aggarwal and Rahul Bhalla — most of them up-and-coming designers from Mumbai and Delhi. The evening closed with Swapnil Shinde and Pria Kataria Puri's stunning collection. The two top designers of the country had come up with something quite wacky: their wild side was evident in the collection.
Designers Aiman Agha and Armaan Randhawa were the first to hit the ramp with their stunning collection that was inspired by Persian embroidery, architecture and carpentry. The collection was a melange of sophistication and elegance, with a hint of structuring. It was a journey, unravelling fresh colours, silhouettes and tapestry while keeping abreast of age-old traditions. "We've played around with a lot of embroidery and we've chosen neutral colours — but red has been smuggled in to give the collection an attractive twist.
We love everything Persian and hence the cuts and designs have a Persian slant," explain Aiman and Armaan.
Next was Mandeep Litt, with his work titled, 'Working With Relaxation'. It revolved around the idea of giving the clothes a semi-formal look, making them easy for daily wear. "It's important that one looks stylish and is comfortably dressed to work. I've experimented with fabric and given the collection an Indian twist. The colours that I've used are soothing to the eye," says Mandeep.
Young designer Kaneeka Aggarwal's collection, titled, 'Flower and Fire', is what caught everybody's attention. Talking about her inspiration, Kaneeka says she draws her imagination from women. "A woman is the personification of strength, beauty and passion. I have largely stuck to traditional motifs and given every garment a western twist. The garments are all flowing and fitted at the waist," she says. The showstopper was Radhika Gandhi, who wore a heavy gold-knitted velvet jacket and a matching black wraparound. "It's definitely heavy but I love my look and would love to wear it to a wedding," says Radhika
Another impressive range was by Goa-based designer Cherylyne Estibeiro. Her work was inspired by the jazz, glamour, parties, free love and cigarettes of the roaring 1920s, combined with the French historic attire of the 17th and 18th centuries. The garments were all figure-hugging and boned, with pulled and tied-up backs and fake hips.
Cherylyne says, "I am inspired by the Victorian era and anything steeped in history excites me. We think that people from the 1920s were not fashion conscious, but that's not true. Every era has its own style," explains Cherylyne. The venue was jam-packed for Swapnil Shinde's show, in which he tried to portray eroticism at its best. The collection was futuristic with snake-like garments. The models wore props that were creatively designed and sported eight-inch heels with lights flickering on their sides.
"My biggest challenge with this collection was to convince my models to wear my wacky stuff and carry it off on eight-inch heels. The naagin (snake) finds a prominent place in all the garments. It's all futuristic and wild," says Swapnil. The showstopper for Swapnil was Huma Qureshi, who was dressed in an elegant yellow gown. The evening ended with Pria Kataria Puri's collection, 'Summer Love: Young, wild and free'. The showstopper was actress Zoya Morani.
People poured in towards late evening and most left completely satisfied. Arun Sanjay, a fashion designer, says, "Bangalore is a happening place for fashion and I am glad that events like this give us an insight into the latest collection."
Suja Srikanth, a student, adds, "It's not everyday that we get to see the work of such eminent designers on a common fore. This is a learning experience for me."