The Lakme Fashion Week Summer Resort 2020, which concluded at Mumbai’s JioWorld Garden, BKC last week, offered heaps of action. Designer Manish Arora mesmerised audiences with the showcase of his collection We Are Family, a gender neutral line staying true to his signature colourful, bold and kitschy aesthetic. The legendary Ritu Kumar presented a line of clothing made in collaboration with Austrian eco-friendly fibre brand Lenzing Ecovero. The Circular Design Challenge award, which recognises designers who have a sustainable and innovative approach to fashion, went to the brand Malai, known for making vegan leather with bacterial cellulose from coconut water, and banana fibre. Besides shining light on various causes, the runways also gave us plenty of trends to look forward to this summer. Shades of India experimented with crochet, Payal Singhal found inspiration in butterflies, Nirmooha went for a dreamy vibe with painterly prints and Sunaina Khera brought back the love for bows. We take a look at the most noteworthy trends…
Strings attached
Giving crochet a contemporary spin, Shades of India turned to artisans in the Saharanpur district of UP to produce the most intricate patterns for their collection titled Crafted in Crochet. Around 200 women worked on the collection to create crochet lace that was used as inserts and embellishments on blouses, kurtas, dupattas and trousers. Another designer to do her bit for the craft was Shriya Bhupal who collaborated with women from Godavari in Andhra to make cotton crochet trimmings.
Flying objects
Payal Singhal and Ashdeen Lilaowala looked upwards for inspiration judging by their affinity for ‘winged’ motifs. Payal’s Parvaneh (Persian for butterfly) was noteworthy for its embroidered birds on lehengas, kurtas, shararas and low-crotch pants. Then, there was Ashdeen, known for his exquisite Parsi gara embroidery, with the collection Memories on Cloth. It featured a flared lehenga on which was embroidered large Birds of Paradise. “There’s enormous detailing that has gone into this skirt, such as shading and French knots. Our usual motif is cranes, but this time we thought we’d be different,” says Ashdeen.
Coat date
Wispy sheer coats by Nirmooha, Tahweave and Ridhi Mehra made a lasting impression. While Nirmooha’s Prreeti Jaiin Nainutia dressed showstopper Esha Gupta in a heavily embellished mini skirt, bralette and digitally-printed sheer jacket, Tahweave used appliqué flowers, French knots and jamdani to create light jackets that were whimsical and dreamy. Ridhi Mehra too went for the magical fairy-tale aesthetic with pale blue longline jackets and overlays in sheer organza and silk chiffon.
Vintage view
There was an abundance of retro-style embroidery and prints across the runways. Chandrima by Chandrima Agnihotri made an impact with a beige heavily embroidered cutwork jacket. Rajdeep Ranawat took cues from vintage Balinese textiles to design a collection rich in French knots, beads, mother of pearl and shells. His showstopper, Amyra Dastur, stunned in a crimson lehenga and choli set detailed with floral prints, beads and shells.
Ruffle ticket
While ruffles continued to rule the runways, Jade by Monica and Karishma’s A Summer Sonnet made a case for ruffled pallus and gave their saris an extra dose of romanticism. Crafted in silk, organza and tulle, the poetic colour palette veered from Dew Rose, Sand and Lunar Silver to Onyx Black, Mint and Aegean Blue.
Arm candy
Shriya Som and Gauri & Nainika drew attention to sleeves with volume, draping, raffia and ruffles. Shriya’s range of cropped tops and blouses featured voluminous sleeves and cascading off-shoulder silhouettes. “This season, I experimented with a few new things, one of them being taffeta. When I played around with the fabric, I found that it drapes perfectly thanks to its semi-stiff papery texture. So it was exactly what I needed to create volume and Boho-inspired sleeves,” says Shriya.
Take a bow
Adorable, chic and feminine, bows in varying sizes captured the imagination of a number of designers. For instance, designer Sanjukta Dutta caused a stir when she sent down a model dressed in a bright red crop top with a large bow covering half her torso. Sunaina Khera too incorporated the trend into her collection, Promises, with a tiered blush mini dress that had large bows at the shoulders. “I personally love bows. I think they’re very feminine. They make an outfit stand out and give it a very luxurious feel,” explains Sunaina.
Sky’s the limit
Varying shades of sky blue made an appearance in the collections of Amit Aggarwal, Shriya Som, Taneiya, Jade by Monica and Karishma, Mishru, Ridhi Mehra and Tahweave. Amit’s signature futuristic 3D techniques and micro-pleating in a glossy shade of pale blue made heads turn, as did Shriya’s periwinkle blue trousers, dresses and jumpsuits, detailed with sequins and floral embroidery. “Periwinkle was introduced in my Spring 2019 collection and since then, it has been a staple Shriya Som colour,” says the designer.
Paint the town
Painterly detailing rendered through digital prints was another major trend spotted across collections. Designers who took to this effect were Gauri & Nainika, Mrunalini Rao and Nirmooha, who created an ethereal and surrealistic vibe. Gauri & Nainika’s prints were black, grey and white, while Mrunalini’s saw lotus blooms against a pale blue backdrop. Nirmooha’s collection, called Coraline, took inspiration from underwater life for prints that included coral reef, shells and waves.