Two women who are known from their own personal style as much as they are for the style they set showed on Day 2 of Delhi Couture Week. With Monisha Jaisingh and Anamika Khanna expectations were high. As always, there will be those who meet expectations and those who do not.
Monisha Jaisingh is the woman who made the kurti glamourous and gave the t-shirt an evening avatar. She knows how to take regular everyday pieces and turn them into something spectacular. This show marked her debut at Delhi Couture week and her theme was the destination wedding. She aptly called her collection, Happily Ever After.
The show started with a red Benares evening gown and then moved to sherwani jackets which were so glam that you would wish you could wear them to your own wedding. Of course, she teamed them with her signature kurti in places and also with flower jewelled leggings. From this she moved on to evening gowns. Starting with a waterfall inspired gown, which could be draped in two ways, it seemed like Monisha was going to show that Indian couture could be very western.
Her gowns are something you can expect to see in every fashionistas wardrobe as they have a sense of ease about them yet makes you feel like a complete glamazon. This is something Monisha has always been an expert at. But there was nothing really that pushed the fashion envelope or that looked couture. One of silhouettes even seemed very Alexander McQueen.
She then moved to cocktail dresses and finally there was Monisha’s take on Indian wear. The problem was nothing seemed new and exciting. When she ended the show with a Maharani bathrobe, it really left you wondering – was this really a show that belonged on a platform like Delhi Couture Week?
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ANAMIKA KHANNA:
The next show was Anamika Khanna’s and this was expected to be the show of the week. As always Anamika exceeded expectations. The only off-site show of the week, it was held at the Leela Ballroom, which was transformed into an Amazon jungle. Before even the first garment could take to the ramp people were hooting, as everyone knew this was going to be the show that set the style barometer. It was an almost perfect combination of innovate draping, exquisite craftsmanship and chic styling. She seemed to favor a very edgy take on the sharara, but there were also Jodhpurs and the dhoti thrown in for good measure. Sarees and lehengas too, were given a very contemporary feel thanks to details like high collars and capes.
Zardosi was elegant, crochet style embellishments added a feel of romance and she ended the show with embroidery that was so beautiful that it looked like lace. Scalloped capes danced like peacocks. Her color palette started with ivory and then moved to reds and purples. Black was thrown in too. Prints and embroiders were inspired by flora and fauna.
Anamika completed the look of this modern day Indian Maharani who had gone to the Amazon with gold Mohawk jewelry. As always every detail just said style, from her rich linings to her detailing on the back of jackets. She received a well-deserved ovation from her peers like Gaurav Gupta, Malini Ramani, Rohit Gandhi and Rahul Khanna, all of whom stood and cheered as she came to take her bow. Modern yet full of Indian craftsmanship, there is no question that Anamika has set the bar, yet again at Delhi Couture Week.
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Pix: Surbhi Sethi for MissMalini