When the overdose of fashion weeks and shows, all crowding and jostling for the eyeball via online media and otherwise, begins to dull the senses, it is the sane and balanced voice of an expert that helps tell the wheat from the chaff. The incomparable Meher Castelino, India’s foremost fashion journalist, has been reviewing shows since 1975. Her coverage of early shows by designers like Ritu Kumar, Tarun Tahiliani, Abu Jani & Sandeep Khosla, the special previews in 1987 for India’s first multi-designer stores like Ensemble and Glittarati, the global fashion shows in Paris, Singapore, Maastricht, Italy, South Africa, the fashion fairs in Dusseldorf etc, were carried in all the major publications. Her expert views expressed in our report are a valuable insight for the designers, FDCI and the buyer.
The 17th India Couture Week was held in New Delhi from 24 to 31 July 2024. The rather long title of the event, ‘Hyundai India Couture Week 2024 in associate with Reliance Brands, an initiative by FDCI’ mentions the sponsors of the event. Fourteen designers unveiled their collections for the coming bridal season. Seventeen years is a long time to perfect any show but unfortunately, the 2024 season was the weakest as far as organisation goes. With only two shows per day, and two venues, the live streaming was at times delayed by 2 hours 30 minutes.
Of course, those watching online, were not aware if they were maybe watching a different live show. One got the impression that FDCI is now a Mom-n-Pop run association that has not been able to acquire international standards. Going through the archives of the past 16 years, the collections in the past were stunning in comparison with this season. The Tarun Tahiliani fiasco did not add brownie points to FDCI. It was a sad happening, but fortunately the Tarun Tahiliani show created the right impact for couture in India.
Choreography for the shows was a tad chaotic, for instance, the venues for J J Valaya and Rahul Mishra had narrow catwalk ramps with models just about managing to prevent a clash. The finales with mobs of models descending from all sides looked like a busy marketplace. Most designers had to struggle in the finale to take a bow, since the stage was tightly packed with models. It may be wise for FDCI to have a post couture week deliberation and review of what went wrong, which could help next year.
ASAL and MARD by ABU SANDEEP – THE TRIUMPH OF LOVE
Wamiqa Gabbi
The Abu Jani/Sandeep Khosla opening show was one that fashion followers were looking forward to after their great triumphs at the recently concluded billionaire wedding. But when the stand-up comedian, Sumukhi Suresh opened the show, it baffled the audience whose faces were a blank, when the lady tried to squeeze humour from her non-existent ‘smart’ talk. The dancers that followed brought a semblance of traditional glamour. The opening entry by talented Wamiqa Gabbi in a stunning pearl encrusted head ornament, matching intricate choli and lehenga created a breath-taking entry. Soon an assortment of ASAL and MARD creations blitzed the ramp. The capelets with saris struck a trendy note, while the variety of lehenga/choli/dupatta trios, saris, kurtas, Anarkalis, sherwanis, robes gave a safe fashion direction.
Taha Shah Badussha
The Heeramandi serial heartthrob, Taha Shah Badussha created a surprise stir on the ramp with his presence. But the olive silk tissue kurta with crystal encrusted flying birds perched on his shoulder and a pair of ill-fitted, flared, brocade pants did not do anything to make him look dapper. When an outfit evokes humour, it may not be the desired result for the buyer. There was a profusion of rich textiles, crafts and homage to heritage but there was nothing outstanding or innovative in terms of construction.
ROSEROOM by ISHA JADOJIA – ART OF ETERNITY
Isha Jajodia brought in French architectural landmarks and the lavish elegance of Versailles. It was a mix of fusion and western ensembles that floated on the runway in lace and tulle with pretty pastels to jewel red, blue for the gowns, body suits, corsets and metallic breast plates. But the ensembles remained subdued with no arresting looks, till the finale show-stopping entry. The black, slinky, will-power gown was basic in form and structure, but it was the sheer, floor kissing, tulle robe with lace insets that redeemed Isha Jajodia’s creative vision.
SUNEET VARMA – NAZM
Suneet Varma offered a variety of bridal options. They had the glitz, glamour and glory that will thrill brides globally. From lehengas, draped skirts, capes, ruffled shirts with palazzo pants there was drama and colour with embroidery on pastel organza, chiffon and metallic tissue. The towering foliage on shoulders and bodice made sure that the current popular statement of 3D décor created enough drama. The Nazm collection had the marked Suneet Varma stamp, keeping corsets and metallic décor on shoulders and bodice at the centre stage for the candy floss creations.
SIDDHARTHA TYTLER – CALIGULA’S FEAST
Siddhartha Tytler’s themes have been quite extreme from a game of chess to his couture collection, Caligula’s Feast. The designer brought a debauched playboy touch to his ensembles. The silhouettes were safe – lehengas, bundgalas, sherwanis, kurtas, saris, angarkhas, gowns, dresses, corsets. Colours played an intriguing medley with ruby, emerald, royal blue and black, while there was surface ornamentation of the extreme kind. Some bold shapes for women’s wear bordered on the demi couture category, while men’s wear needed a strong personality to carry the ruffled top and multifloral print suits.
KUNAL RAWAL – SEHRA
The Sehra collection by Kunal Rawal had all the characteristic touches of the men’s wear designer. There was a rich choice of fabrics – silks, brocades, Bandhani, dhup chao dappled with thread work, ikat, the popular French knots, as well as micro motifs. Kunal brought a hint of androgynous touch to the brand too. Did the red lehenga/choli, dress and navy sari suggest that women’s wear would be added soon since men’s wear has a limited market?
DOLLY J – LA VIEN EN ROSE
Dolly J has her concept of Indo-western bridal wear, which she stays true to. Playing to the gallery and staying on the right path it was gowns, lehenga/choli/dupattas as well as saris splashed with embroidery. The silhouettes were a feminine profusion created from tulle, chiffon, silk tissues, and organzas. It was not exactly a memorable collection from the designer.
JJ VALAYA – MURAQQA
JJ Valaya’s name is internationally and nationally renowned as one of the pioneers of fashion in India, having worked with award winning Hollywood designer Ruth Carter for movies like Black Panther, Wakanda Forever and Coming 2 America. His Muraqqa collection had all the Valaya inputs of metal, silk, bead, crystal, embellishments.
Fabulous weaves, textiles, embellishments and crafts were visible for the 40 women and 20 men’s wear, but there was nothing that had not been seen before. An assortment of traditional wear, saris, kurtas, jackets, bundgala and shawls endorsed the fact that a lot of work and effort had been put in by Valaya.
The show moved at an even keel when suddenly there was an interruption – Two pairs of twins – one set in black/white striped tunics and the other two in grey palazzos/cholis appeared. The two pairs came together did some confused interchanging on head ramp and quietly slunk away. During the finale as the 60 models descended into the audience in droves, a model in a black/white chevron gown, suddenly broke away and sat in the audience. Whoever did the choreography had a vivid imagination, since the show area was a little cramped and needed clean movements. Valaya’s efforts in selecting the weaves and embroidery were very evident. But were they memorable?
AMIT AGGARWAL – ANTEVORTA
Amit Aggarwal and bridal couture may not create a fashion synergy, but the designer declared that his couture creations are not for the faint hearted. He didn’t succumb to the traditional safe route of Indian wear. He stuck to his niche sensibilities and unveiled a collection aimed at the thinking dressers who want to make outstanding fashion statements. The opening creation, a black giant cocoon with silver glitter may shock the bridal wear buyer. His red ensemble with both arms locked in the sleeves like a strait jacket was an intricate concept. But glittering construction in tones of silver, black, red, gold and white defied imagination. The finale line up with shields for the faces may be too exaggerated a concept, but then it was a futuristic vision of bridal wear. Where Amit also scored was with his impeccably cut men’s wear with adequate glitter to give it a festive look without making it look feminine.
RAHUL MISHRA – NARGIS
Lisa Ray
Multi award winner, favourite of Paris Couture Week and darling of the French press, Raul Mishra’s poetic descriptions of his collections often outshine his work. All of 1206 artisans worked for eight months on the Nargis collection. The statistics are mind boggling with hundreds of ancient traditional handicrafts used.
The opening concept sari did set the mood as former model Lisa Ray sashayed down the ramp. A few similar cocktail saris in varying forms continued. Soon it was the tried, tested path of lehenga/choli/dupatta trios, jackets, saris and slinky gowns that unravelled an embellishment story. Men’s wear followed with florals on Nehru jackets, sherwanis bundgalas, at times in unison with the women’s gowns or bridal wear. It was a collection that was a mélange of craft but lacked innovative construction something that was Rahul Mishra’s forte when he appeared on the Indian fashion scene in 2006. It was somewhat a complacent collection that could have edged up the couture ladder with some effort.
JAYANTI REDDY – THREADS OF LEGACY
Aditi Rao Hydari
The 40 bridal looks unveiled the beauty of heritage from the culturally rich Hyderabad. The creativity revolved around rich lace, tulle and silks as well as the grand weaves and crafts perfected by artisans. From dramatic black with amazing embroidery to traditional red, the collection by Jayanti Reddy was not high on innovative creativity but was an excellent display of the glory of Indian artisans and their skills. The finale entry, a dusty grey sharara teamed with a flared mini kurti with a deep plunging neckline, was far from bridal couture and more a direction to a demi couture look.
GAURAV GUPTA – ARUNODAYA
After his success in Paris for two seasons and dressing stars like Beyoncé, Cardi B, Mindy Kaling, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, when Gaurav Gupta cancelled his Autumn/Winter 2024 show in Paris because of an unfortunate accident, the fashion world was saddened.
His appearance at India Couture Week was eagerly anticipated. One looked forward to his bridal collection Arunodaya in shades of white, ivory pearl, comet blue, petal pink, mauve, slate, sand, lava and Bordeaux. The collection comprised lehengas, saris, gowns, jackets all dripping in shimmer and shine, while the men’s wear also matched the opulence of the show. There were the GG touches of moulding, spirals, some intriguing construction, but unfortunately, the show lacked the ritz and pizzazz, a GG Panther showcase is renowned for.
Vedang Raina and Khushi Kapoor
Some of the tunics, jackets with flared shararas evoked a sense of Deja vou. The models’ styling was basic, and the couture touch was absent. Men’s trousers pooled at the ankles in an ungainly manner (is this the trend?), while some clothes did not fit the models. But the sad part of the show was the showstopper – Khushi Kapoor, whose styling was non-existent. Flat combed hair and mediocre makeup, as she stood like a zombie with arms stuck to her body and a hesitant look. The poor girl didn’t know where to go or what to do. Her colleague, Vedang Raina was a picture of absolute confidence as he strutted his style with great aplomb making the difference between the two even more jarring
RIMZIM DADU – STUCCO
All the statement touches of Rimzim Dadu were evident for the Stucco collection but was it couture? Rimzim’s favourite metallic yarns, steel wires, zardozi, incorporated baroque architectural looks, corseted tops, contemporary lehengas, intriguing detailing kept the tempo of the ensembles upbeat. Men’s sherwanis, and tuxedos were sleek but evoked a sense of Deja Vou since they were similar to previous designers’ offerings. Experiments with trousers with ankle trains did not fit into the bridal genre. Fringes were used lavishly and covered long skirts, footwear, blouses and handbags. The collection showed a few innovations in Rimzim’s creativity, but this was an upgraded Bridge line. Rimzim Dadu needs to up her design game if she wants to fit into the couture category.
TARUN TAHILIANI – OTHERWORLDLY
Having created some great bridal looks for the billionaire wedding, Tarun Tahiliani suffered numerous brickbats for his Olympic uniforms. Would he be able to bounce back with great aplomb at India Couture Week 2024?
He definitely did. With his quirkily named Otherworldly collection that created a record for not only its beauty on the ramp, but also for being showcased twice back-to-back as 300 guests thronged the venue and could not get in. But Tarun, the master showman with a generous heart, had a second show and even paid the models 50 percent more for their efforts.
The 100-strong collection for both men and women was what bridal couples dream of. Exquisite creativity was evident from head to toe as hairstyles, jewellery, handbags and footwear were in perfect sync – something some of the designers had not paid attention to. The Tarun expertise in craft was displayed with amazing skill, while drapes and constructions were the stars of the ensembles. Women floated in like ethereal beauties in stunning designs, while the men in impeccable attire tailored to perfection, made regal entries. The Otherworldly by Tarun Tahiliani was one of his best collections that made the show a memorable one for the audience, many of whom must have longed to take the Saat Pheras again.
FALGUNI SHANE PEACOCK – RANG MAHAL
When it is the finale, it HAS to be grand with lots of OTT effects so that the audience gets its worth of the visual delights. Falguni Shane Peacock, after their unfortunate attempts at dressing Aishwarya Rai Bachchan at the Cannes Film Festival 2024 and dodging brickbats from all sides, surfaced bravely to risk a finale at the Hyundai India Couture week 2024.
Their collection Rang Mahal was described as drawing from 50 iconic elements of India’s rich history, grand palaces, lavish lifestyle and great craftsmanship (great copy indeed!). The set drenched in pink, with swans and lotus, added a dramatic look to the décor, while a Sitar player promoted tradition. Swirling contemporary dancers and the live Bombay Choir created a mixed bag of music and dance.
The lehenga/choli/dupatta trios were so opulent, a veiled Dipti Gujral’s train needed four models to carry it. Glitz, glamour and glitter, characteristics of the FSP, came in quick succession. Feathers, the duo’s favourites, flounced on gowns, while grooms turned coy with metallic seheras dangling in front of their faces. The Indian artisan’s skills were the centre of attraction with crafts/motifs vying for attention. It was standard glittering bridal wear fare.
The highlight of the show was the experiments with Kanjeevaram saris in rich threads with the FSP logo cleverly woven into the saris and dupatta borders of the Banaras brocades and chikankari work. This capsule collection lifted the level of the show from ‘expected’ to ‘creative’.
