WIFW celebrates Womanhood on 3rd day

New Delhi, Sep 8: It was a women's day out as most designers showcased feminine glamorous long-flowing pleated dresses, gowns, saris and lehngas with embellishments alongside western shapes created to cater to the taste of one and all on the third day of Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week (WIFW).

The day opened with 'Viva de glam', a collection by debutant designer Elisha W. The theme came to life through glamorous long flowing pleated dresses and gowns in powdery hues of turquoise, coral and aqua crafted from luxurious fabrics such as chiffons, georgettes and cotton Lurex.

Intricate handcraftsmanship and glorious embroideries which embellished most glamorous diva gowns were sent to the ramp when Rabani and Rakha presented their collection. Elegant saris and long flattering flowing dresses in pale subtle shades of ecru, cream and skin tones were created from precious textured fabrics such as georgette, chiffon and organza.

However, the highlights of the day were Eco-friendly clothing line by Anita Dongre and collections by ace designers Gauri and Nonika and Surily Goel.

True to its name, designer duo Gauri and Nainika 's collection, 'A Closet Full of Dresses', showcased long-flowing as well as voluminous bell-shaped silhouettes. One could see petticoat skirts supported through layers and layers of tulle underneath. This created quite a dancing mood and a strong reference to the new look of the swinging 50s.

Talking about their collection, the designer duo (gauri, nainika) said, ''Our collection is for the young women who enjoy dressing. We have played with colours more this time and paid less attention to embellishment as people prefer clean and simple stuff.'' Surily Goel's collection combined Grecian style flowy silhouettes with bohemia in a true sense with bold prints and stark contrasts of colours. The use of mother of pearl shells as decorations on pleated fabrics and beaded embellishments on accessories like belts and string fastening made the collection all the more interesting.

Adding star blitz to the show was Priya Chatwal, who strutted the catwalk for the designer.

The designer, who shot into the limelight after her tryst with Rani Mukherjee-Saif Ali Khan starrer 'Ta Ra Rum Pum', said, ''I have designed clothes which could be wearable keeping in mind the commercial factor. Ultimately, people should wear the clothes. But to carry my clothes girls should have the right kind of body.'' About Priya Chatwal, wife of famous British hotelier Vikram Chatwal, walking the ramp for her, the designer said,'' Priya look stunning in my clothes. She has the perfect body and so boosts my creations. Also, most important, she brings to India a lot of international attention.'' For Priya it was a great experience to become part of the Fashion Week.

''I have worked for many designers before but this is my first association with the WIFW. I feel like a Greek Goddess. Surily is a very talented designer and her future is too bright.'' Sonia Mehra, daughter of the late actor Vinod Mehra, walked the ramp for Renu Tandon's collection named 'Rise and Shine'. The look was an overall glamorous and luxurious feel for this collection as metallic gold matched with warm colours dictated the theme inspired from the rising sun depicting its positive and warm hues of orange, beige and burnt reds.

Silver lace fabric trims were used as patch work on saris with embellished blouses that resembled corsets - a trend to look out for. Embroidery layout on panels of lehenga teamed with stoles made of flowy fabrics in burnt red colour completed a traditional ensemble.

The last show of the day saw Bollywood Actor Lara Dutta walking the ramp for Rocky S, who launched his club wearline inspired from the Nokia prism design mobile phones expressed in black with dashes of pink and blue.

Prism inspired, the collection displayed a multi-faceted range of daring black mini dresses, as well as mildly structured jackets and pants. Illusion, dimension and mystery were created though punctuated dazzling prismatic embellishments.

Terming his collection ''trendy'' as the newly-launched phones, he said,'' My collection is for trendy and techy people. Lara Dutta was roped in for the show as she she perfectly represnts the young generation.'' ''My designs are affordable and would rock nightclubs. These will be available in multinational market as well.'' However, more than the collection it was Bollywood stars Katrina Kaif, Dino Morea Amrita Arora, Kim Sharma and designer Manish Malhotra sitting in the front row who caught attention.

Unlike most of the audience who found the collection monotonous and boring designer Manish Malhotra said, ''I think it was pretty glamorous, very sexy with lot of attitude and the music was fantastic.'' Abhijeet Khanna, another designer from Hi 5 duo team, also received rapturous applause for his 'RISA' collection comprising bright red glitter sequin. He drew inspiration from James Bond movies and enthralled the spectators with technology-induced digital prints on skirts which had sequin embroidery.

UNI