Indian fashion designers Little Shilpa and duo Shivan and Naresh open up about their designs for the Blenders Pride Fashion Tour.
Glamour infused with live music by the Midival Punditz, set the scene for designs for the modern women, which included cutting edge collections by Little Shilpa, and a sophisticated cruise line by Shivan and Naresh.
Heads Up!
Little Shilpa’s collection steered our attention directly to her trademark quirky headgears, masks and neck ensembles. Keeping the attire minimal, the handcrafted paper accessories were definitely a win.
Renowned for her “unapologetically unconvincing” designs, Little Shilpa showcased three contemporary collections: Disco Denimals, Grey Matters and Black Magic. Taking the ease of denim along with animal iconography and discotheque imagery, she paints a free-spirited picture in the first, while in the Grey Matters collection, she infused offbeat influences on the arguably strict norms associated with India’s most beloved silhouettes - the saree and katoricholi.
“It is my intuition that makes me brave enough to take decisions in my life, despite what others say,” says Shilpa, who has brought her collection to India after showcasing them in London and Paris. “There’s is a dreamy reality in my designs, which I only tone down when I have to sell them, as there has to be an entry point for buyers to enter my world,” says Shilpa.
Being true to yourself is the real portrayal of oneself, she feels, adding that she makes sure her designs have a cohesive story.
Style on board
Celebrating the modern Indian woman, Delhi-based designers Shivan and Naresh wowed the audience with their swim line, that playing with gem tone colours of ruby, cerulean, rose and topaz.
“Our collection reflects a zesty luxe orientation to holiday splendour, making the mind wander into enchanting territories,” say Shivan and Naresh.
The duo define their collection as bold, confident and sophisticated. When quizzed about the inspiration behind it, they reply, “We are selling confidence in a piece of garment, wearing something in which you’re the most comfortable.” Shivan adds, “People in the country think bikinis are not meant for Indian women. But in the earlier days, women used to bathe by the ghats here. So why are we so apprehensive about swim wear?”
Point taken, Shivan!
What stood out in the duo's collection was the red hot bikini-saree, worn by their stunning showstopper Sushmita Sen. So what was the idea behind creating something innovative like a bikini-saree? “One of our Marwari customers wanted us to make something for her for a cruise holiday that does not reveal much but is still appropriate to be worn on board. Being a 40-year-old Indian woman, she wasn’t comfortable wearing either a swimsuit or a saree. So we decided to give her a mix of both, which is how the design came about."
"The bikini-saree transforms into a bikini, if the clip on the shoulder is detached. It's pretty cool!" says Sushmita, who oozed class, donning the final garment on the ramp. The Bengali beauty also said, "I am nervous every time I walk down the ramp. We have our share of goof-ups, we learn from our mistakes, that is what makes us showstoppers ultimately."
With three shows done, the Blender's Pride Fashion tour is now set to travel to Bengaluru on December 6, followed by Kolkata on December 12.
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