Day 2 of the ongoing fashion week could’ve easily passed off as “textile day” with strong designer lineups presenting stronger collections. Virtues by Viral, Ashish and Vikrant kick-started the day with an eclectic line of 23 ensembles that included layered dresses, capes, Ikat woven frock dresses, pants, and off-shoulder gathered tops in a collection titled “Mrs Nair’s High Tea”. Singer Sona Mohapatra was seen performing during the show. The act was followed by designers Shruti Sanch-eti of Pinnacle, Pratima Pandey of Prama and Urvashi Kaur.
Aakaro by Gaurav Jai Gupta’s collection titled Pingala (nerve-current on the right side of the spinal column) was next in line. Models sashayed down the runway showcasing the designer’s visionary pieces in a fine blend of silk, cotton, linen, zari, stainless steel, monofilament silks and metallic yarns. The designer sent out several reversible separates for men and women alongside liquid mesh structures in tie and dye engineered silk shift dresses, Maheshwar draped trousers, rainbow striped shirt dresses, panelled numbers, saris made from engineered copper silk, high twist cotton silk kinji dresses among several others.
A name synonymous to the quintessential Indian drape — saris — Anavila’s show was jampacked. Titled “When we look back tomorrow” Anavila leaned on classical rustic hues of white, cream, beige, greys and off-whites. Her Spring-Summer edition comprised fluid garments, kurta pajamas, trousers, tops with elbow length sleeves, collared buttoned down shift dresses, summer jackets, ankle length skirts with net extensions, signature anti-fits blouses and more, in organic handwoven textiles. Myriad stitch work, geometric patchwork, interesting combos of prints and intricate crochets engulfed “Twist in my sobriety” by Payal Pratap. Her love affair with stitches recited a modern story and was cleverly weaved together with details like handmade leather footwear, wrap belts, and woven leather bags. For fabrics — the designer used the best of linens, cotton, cotton silks, chanderis, linen blends and khadi. Sari dresses, structured jackets, cropped boleros, peplum jackets with gathered sleeves, jumpsuits and easy dresses were some of the key highlights. Next, Abraham and Thakore presented their slowest of slow fashion during one of the late evening shows. The designer duo played with calligraphy, fonts, and logos in outfits that ranged from khadi dresses, kora khadi safety pin kurtas, gold laminated khadi palazzo pants, printed silk joggers to black and gold printed khadi jackets and more. Rajesh Pratap Singh sent out his models for an urban showdown in a world where asymmetry and bold graphics were the norms. He, along with designer Ashish N. Soni, presented two distinctly different lines. Monochro-matic stripes, polka dots, plaids, tartan checks scattered across various bottom silhouettes, asymmetrical kurtas, harem pants, blazers and jackets with high-low hems were sent out by RPS while Ashish sent out his brigade of men and women sporting smoky eyes and shimmery suits and tuxedos.