A Toast To The Best Formal and Semi-Formal Styles We Spotted At Lakme India Fashion Week

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Amit agarwal, brand consultancy, design studio, fabrics, fashion brands, fashion designers, fashion labels, fashion show, fashion startup, Fashion Week, formal wear, formal wear and evening wear, freelance fashion designer, garments, Kunal Rawal, Lakme India Fashion Week, runway fashion, Saaksha and Kinni, sheer fabrics, silhouettes, styles, styles and trends

If you’re a fashion aficionado, an aspiring designer or a follower of celebrities, your timeline was probably flooded with images from Lakme India Fashion Week that concluded just a few days ago.  We know because we’ve been digging some of these styles, too.

Here at Fuel4Fashion, we’re huge believers in practicality. Some of the most stunning styles on-ramp often fade away from existence entirely. Some others look great on models but probably not so much on real people in real situations, minus the flashbulbs. That said, three designers absolutely stood out for us and showcased designs that can be adapted into wardrobes.

Take notes, fashion entrepreneurs- your customers will be asking for these styles very, very soon.

1. Saaksha and Kinni

Perhaps the clearest example of a designer’s clarity of thought comes through in this designer duo’s collection for Lakme India Fashion Week this time around. Prints are a very urbane expression of the self- in fact, think back to your ancestry, and you’d be sure to remember one print or one weave that everyone spoke about.

Interpretations of Ikat and Pochampally in 8-bit game pixels is a genius move, we think.

Also, everyone needs space, people!

Flowy fabrics are in, especially for formal wear. In a tropical country like India, and for the sake of comfort the world over, people are seeing the virtue in abandoning the sharp suit for more statement pieces. Think blouses with bell sleeves and prints, printed formal pants with plain shirts, and jackets in a variety of cuts and styles. We’d go so far as to say that you should think of one statement accessory in the collection to lift up all the Boring formal wear that all of us inadvertently own. Excited yet? Thanks, Saaksha and Kinni!

2. Kunal Rawal

We love Kunal Rawal’s collection because it comes as a breath of fresh air in the parched men’s formalwear section this Fashion Week. It’s still super cool to wear formal-ish suits and all-black this festive season too, guys!

Also, come to think of out, wardrobes should always be function over fancy, and while it’s nice to have the flower-embroidered jackets, we all need evergreen pieces that can be adapted to a variety of occasions.

And that is precisely what this collection brings to the ramp, and to wardrobes. We highly recommend including some earthy hues in the formal menswear collections this time. They add a nice touch to an array of blues and blacks.

We also like the idea of using self-designed motifs on pants and jackets for an extra layer of detail. Dinner jackets in shades of orange and burnt umber, details on trousers, and brogues with extra motifs at the toe cap- all recommended.

Did we mention athleisure? A wholly tailored suit with pants that mimic tracks are in right now, and this is a trend you can adapt for both genders with relative ease.

3. Amit Aggarwal

Bringing some much-needed sass to women’s evening wear is Amit Aggarwal. We particularly love his silhouettes because of the sheer global appeal of those gowns. Here’s a cocktail dress that one could pull of absolutely anywhere in the world.

Shades of grey and bronze, a dress separated into coordinates, African culture inspired gowns- is there any better way to go global? Also, grey is a color that is kind to all skin tones, and in all climates, so that’s an added plus too. Think cocktail dresses with one central motif, and add in geometric details.

Another way to adapt Amit Aggarwal’s collection into your stores, apart from the gowns, is to design peplum tops in metallics, tailored pants and thinking of bow pants a la Emma Watson.

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Supriya Ghurye is the founder and owner of Fuel4Fashion. She is a Freelance Fashion Designer and Brand Consultant helping fashion brands to create great products from idea to launch. Fuel4Fashion social links: Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram

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London Fashion Week Vs New York Fashion Week – Part 1

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apparels, fashion blog, fashion designer, floral, garments, layered, LFW, London Fashion Week, New York fashion week, NYFW, pink, runway, silhouettes, Spring 14

As the Spring’14 trends rolled out on the runway, London Fashion Week sketched out delicate elegant women with a tint of pink and floral prints in its layered flouncy dresses fabricated in sheer iridescent textures and New York Fashion Week portrayed the women’s power with a reflection of its eternal beauty draped in oversized white button down shirt feminized by the contouring of body lines and intricate detailing coupled with cropped denim pants. So we decided to do a comparative study between the key trends showcased during New York Fashion Week (NYFW) & London Fashion Week (LFW).

New York Fashion Week – SS’14
Image courtesy : http://goo.gl/Za7Azf

Setting the trends: INSPIRATION

London Fashion Week (LFW) showcased the embellished, bejeweled, appliquéd designs with a subtle touch of unique simplicity. Runway bloomed with the incense of floral prints which had a pink hue in its textures rendering it the 3^rd dimension. Delicately crafted organza petals dispersed over dresses, heavily embroidered floral designs stitched into satin, and sheer layers of flora fabricated into designs that revived the decades of 60’s and 70’s.“Flower prints have been done to death,” admitted Christopher Kane after his show.

Floral Extreme – London Fashion Week
Image courtesy : http://goo.gl/f6aqdC

London Fashion Week : Christopher Kane – Flower motifs
Image courtesy: http://goo.gl/zizgCC

London Fashion Week – Floral print rendering in 3rd dimension.
Image courtesy : http://goo.gl/nJyNbp

London Fashion Week : John Rocha – Delicate pastel floral.
Image courtesy : http://goo.gl/jYe1cw

London Fashion Week : Matthew Williamson – Flower power, cutouts.
Image courtesy : http://goo.gl/iglHon

‘Soft’ collection by Burberry &feminine romance reflected in Temperley London collection. Breeze of elegant full skirts & feminine hue swept of some gentle memoirs of 60’s, 70’s & 90’s. Some collection were said to have strong 60s references included Mulberry and Sister by Sibling, while Holly Fulton, Henry Holland and Jonathan Saunders harked back to the 70s. Thats is all about the inspiration of London Fashion Week collection showcased by various designers.

New York Fashion Week (NYFW) men-inspired oversized attire, crop pants was feminized with embellishment and detailing. Post the restrained clothing of Fall, designers painted a relaxed look with the ease and attitude of the West Coast lifestyle and iconic California beaches.”We want to see a woman cooler, more relaxed, and that’s sexy,” said Max Azria backstage before the show. NYFW appeared to be largely influenced by 20’s and 30’s.

New York Fashion Week : Marc Jacobs – Contrast color florals
Image courtesy : http://goo.gl/gUaWK9

New York Fashion Week : Bibhu Mohapatra – Fluid dresses / Figure-hugging sheaths / Boxy shells / Embellished gowns
Image courtesy : http://goo.gl/d3qK97

New York Fashion Week : Prabal Gurung – use of bold colors and transparent fabrics
Image courtesy : http://goo.gl/Lh5zYY

New York Fashion Week : Nicole Miller – florals with abstract graphic prints
Image courtesy : http://goo.gl/xjn1ao

New York Fashion Week : Milly by Michelle Smith – Paint brush feminine print with Hawaiian influences
Image courtesy : http://goo.gl/rcvoBf

On the canvas of NYFW Prabal Gurung painted an “idealized women” using transparency as his tool. Miller named her collection “Rebels With a Cause,” and offered a tagline: “Power Meets Pretty.”. Francisco Costa simulated the inspiration from Basquiat, Picasso and Madonna into layered dresses.

So here we end with this insight into what inspired the designers and what did their collection personify. We will soon bring you the COLORS that will enter your wardrobes this Spring’14 in our next part. So keep reading and stay stylish!!!