Handcrafted glamor

MODELS CLAD IN kimono-inspired dresses and sarong skirts influenced by the Orient were among the colorful collections paraded by native designers at Indias leading fashion event in New Delhi recently.

One prominent designer says the designs reflected attempts to break away from Western influences.

My collection celebrates Asian super power. The Indian and Chinese influence is big everywhere, says Suneet Varma, who enjoys a wide following in India.

Im not thrilled by Western fashion. Its monotonous, while Asia has a certain culture and allure, the jeans-clad Varma says.

He paraded his women in draped dresses, straight skirts and pea coats in a palette of moss, teal and maroon on the opening day last Wednesday.

Models sported slanted eyebrows, geisha lips and bright knee-length socks to complete the Oriental look.

Varma is one of more than 80 fashion designers who showcased fall- winter fashion for international and domestic buyers at the style extravaganza.

The highlight of Manoviraj Khoslas show was the androgynous look for men with skinny trousers and jodhpurs.

Khosla sent the models out in fitted jeans in suede, leather and denim, worn tucked into knee-length boots and embellished with cut work and appliques.

These clothes are meant for anyone who loves to party, says the designer.

Buyers from international stores such as New York-based Bloomingdales attended the show.

Designer Ashish Soni, whose minimal clothes earned him acclaim at New Yorks re

cent fashion week, used traditional crafts and techniques in his collection.

Another top designer, Rohit Bal, paraded his models in clothes that had Western silhouettes but were handcrafted with extensive surface texturing using Indian techniques. Every single thing from the thread to the fabrics and technique was Indian, Bal points out.

2008-04-26

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