Nature in spotlight at India Couture Week

Dictating the trends for the upcoming season, the second last day of India Couture Week witnessed designs created by the proponent of slow fashion, designer Anita Dongre, and the designer who interprets fairy tales, magical castles and dreams among several other things through his modernistic vision, Gaurav Gupta.

With Sufi singer Deveshi Sahgal singing spellbinding music by the runway, Anita’s show had a serene and calm vibe that resonated her composed personality. Set amidst the foliage of metallic trees, the collection was called “Tree of Love”, which paid homage to the Bishnoi community’s spiritual reverse for nature using intricate weaves and embroideries. Anita sent out models wearing tulle skirts, tea-length dresses in Mushroo and hand-embroidered work, lehengas with extensive gottapatti work in hues of blue, rich maroons, black and emerald green.  Accessories were seen vis a via colour-coordinated obi belts, contrasting embroidered flat shoes, cross-body potli bags. All lehengas featured pockets. The concept of colour-coordinated clothes for the bridesmaids was also introduced during the show. “Tree of love is a collection that is special to me. It is inspired by everything I love and respect - memories of childhood summers in the garden with my grandfather and the spiritual reverence for nature that the Bishnoi tribe shares.”

Designer Gaurav Gupta who was next presented his couture collection titled “Moondust” that took references from the sculptures found in the realm of a mythological forest. Actor Aditi Rao Hydari closed the designer’s show looking pretty as a princess in a silver ensemble. “It was extremely special walking the ramp for GG because he was one of the first people who encouraged me when I was new, almost six to seven years back,” Aditi said after the event.

Though she may have walked the runway for the designer for the first time, it was not her first time donning a Gupta classic: “He used to call me to his studio back then. And I used to just sit there for the whole day. Trying out everything from all his old and new collections. I used to try everything on and feel like a real princess. From that day to this day, I have grown closer to him.”