Fashion Designer Amit Aggarwal’s collection “Crystalis” details revealed before his show at India Couture Week 2018

Amit Aggarwal, a pioneer in innovative textile crafts & structured design, will be showcasing his collection for the very first time at India Couture Week 2018.

Amit Aggarwal has long pioneered in engineering modern and innovative couture inspired by nature’s awe-inspiring forms, while seamlessly combining India’s rich textile heritage and our commitment to environmental sustainability. 

Designer collection

  In line with this vision, our Couture 2018 collection has been inspired by two wondrous natural phenomena, the formation of crystals at a molecular level and the enveloping of the metallic chrysalis around a butterfly cocoon. We’ve titled our collection Crystalis, a derivation of words crystal and chrysalis. 

  When molecules come together to form a highly ordered microscopic pattern, which then repeats itself infinitely, a crystal is formed. This phenomenon greatly resonates with our design process, one that’s centered on forging unique materials together to create singular design units and then repeating them to create complex patterns, textiles and embroideries. 

Designer collection

The form and texture of our design elements too have been specifically designed to be sharp, angular and crystalline in appearance to reflect this core inspiration. 

The metallic encasing that forms around the cocoon of a butterfly, the chrysalis, has been a formative aesthetic influence in this collection in equal measure. Our metallic and crystalline textiles sculpt, drape and travel in much the same way, eventually unravelling to reveal the elegant form of the female body. 

Both concepts are bound at their very core by the idea of units, sometimes geometric and sometimes organic, coalescing together to form complex structural formations in our physical world. 

Designer collection

  Our color palette consisting of jewel tones of rose quartz, silver onyx, emerald, amethyst, topaz and sapphire, as well as metallic shades of rose gold, silver, pewter and light gold have been specifically tailored to bring the aforementioned concepts to life most accurately. 

  Experimental textiles, created using modern industrial materials applied through traditional Zardozi and Ari hand techniques, have been a hallmark of our couture designs. 

For this collection, we have explored a range of hand done three-dimensional embroideries in various crystalline and bio mimicked forms and motifs to give our fabrics a unique visual and tactile quality. 

 We also embarked on an exciting collaboration with Taani by Tanira Sethi to create one-of-a kind, engineered and embellished cashmere draped pieces for our Couture 2018 collection. These fabrics were meticulously woven in France using specialized machinery and subsequently embroidered and sculpted in partnership with textile designer Tanira Sethi at our studio to create innovatively draped couture pieces. 

Designer mood boardOne of the most compelling stories in our Couture 2018 presentation has been our extensive silhouette exploration, morphing different aspects of traditional Indian and western couture shapes with each other and infusing them with structure and form. We have achieved this using a range of sophisticated cording, plisse and topstitched fabrications, laboriously designed and crafted in-house. 

Sharply cut innovative patterns, that accentuate and enhance the female form, have been combined with incredibly sculptural yet agile fabrications that dramatically drape around the body, creating a new and inimitable couture language. 

  Our vision for showcasing our Couture 2018 collection titled ‘Crystalis’ at the India Couture Week has been brought to life in collaboration with some leading designers and artists from across the country.  Fashion illustrationOuthouse has been at the forefront of creating contemporary jewellery inspired by various natural forms, both organic and geometric, using techniques employed to design fine jewellery. For Couture 2018, we collaborated with Outhouse in designing jewelry inspired by various complex crystalline structures and intricate organic forms such as that of the metallic chrysalis cocoon. All the jewellery pieces have been crafted using materials and metallic colours that lend effortlessly to our collection’s colour palette.   

 Each of our couture pieces have been teamed with footwear designed in collaboration with Nidhi Bhandari. A range of our textile techniques, from our signature polymer details to opulent bugle bead embellishments, have been employed to craft the shoes. Ultimately, helping us compose each of our couture looks to the final detail.  

“Gemini” : A collection of Reversible Sarees by ace designer Payal Khandwala

In a consumeristic era where a closet full is still not enough, Payal Khandwala  aims to maximise the utility of an outfit. Toying with the idea of taking this one step further, Payal has now launched her first ever line of reversible saris. One sari – multiple ways, her endeavor towards sustainability.

GEMINI | 2018

As a Gemini and a sari lover myself, I’ve always wondered how to make saris even more multipurpose than they already are. Just as I’ve committed, as part of our pret offering, to rethink separates to add breadth to our wardrobes, I thought it important to be able to somehow bring that element of surprise to the sari. In the past we’ve teamed our saris with wardrobe staples, the shirt, the blouse, a tee, a tank, a waistcoat and a jacket. The idea is always to offer our customer flexibility. But what if we could wear the same sari, with the same drape and same blouse yet somehow still make it look different?
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This was the starting point for this line of saris. How does one innovate an Indian essential that is already perfect? The solution had to be effortless and fuss free. So I conceived them to be ‘reversible’. They’re designed in a way that they can simply be flipped. This alters the look in a small, albeit significant way. Reimagined to be modular, we can reuse and repeat them while feeling and looking a little different each time.
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This duality lends itself perfectly to my own personality and this twin zodiac. Unpredictable, versatile and expressive, it allows the wearer freedom and choice. We mirrored the saris to drive the point home, keeping all the other components identical.
 
We also added some more shapes that can be alternatives to the blouse. These include halters, tube tops and our latest offerings of permanent pleated blouses, tops, tanks and waistcoats, in addition to our signature wraps and tunics. Just in time for the summer, all of these can be worn with other coordinates from your existing wardrobe to be styled as desired with or without the sari.
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Our saris are hand woven in mulberry silk and cotton, in plain and twill weaves. The palette ranges from our bright summer hues of scarlet, citrine, sapphire, chartreuse, and magenta to silver, coffee and charcoal. Accessorized with our handmade pleated flowers, recycled from studio waste, to dress the hair and minimal Tachi arm cuffs in stainless steel and brass – this collection doubles the fun of styling the sari in a restrained yet luxurious, but dramatic way. The spirit as always is fierce and feminine and still intrinsically India modern.  
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To Buy/Query for these Payal Khandwala Reversible Sarees Click Any Link Below :
Phone : +91 22 2283 6707

‘Summer Bloom’ by Tamanna Punjabi Kapoor: Spring/Summer’18

This season, indulge in our all new collection as fine craftsmanship gracefully romances with soft pastels to create exquisite ensembles. Our latest SS18 collection, ‘Summer Bloom’ highlights intricate mirror embroideries with immaculate detailing to present this season’s staples, ideal for fairy tale weddings. Behold sun kissed pastel hues as they culminate with traditional artistry to present Tamanna Punjabi Kapoor’s signature floral embroideries and mirror work. A fine example of striking mirror embroideries combined with subdued pastels, these alluring attires are perfect for the festive season.

 

 

Fashion Designer Anita Dongre opens the new flagship store “Grassroot” in New York

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Having received so much love and appreciation for Grassroot, we are super thrilled to announce that Anita Dongre has now launched her first flagship store in the the city of dreams – New York.

The new store will house the sustainable luxury brand Grassroot, Anita Dongre bridal couture, menswear as well as Anita Dongre pret all under one roof. The beautiful space is located at the iconic 473 West Broadway, a pre-war building dating back to the 1900s, in the heart of New York’s most vibrant shopping thoroughfare. The store occupies three storeys and spans over 4,500 square feet. The lower level is dedicated to menswear as well Anita Dongre pret and features dark grey floors and traditional Indian tile-framed mirrors. The ground level is dedicated to Grassroot, and features natural wood floors and fixtures with brass hardware. The top most level is dedicated to her bridal, ready-to-wear and fine jewelry collections. The interiors of each section are carefully curated creating a holistic experience.

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The Grassroot space, truly emotes the brand’s philosophy – revive, sustain & empower. The décor is accented by elements in rose gold, cork and sustainable sourced wood. Every detail is special in this section, from custom-made racks that give a nod to the humble shuttle which is used to hand weave fabric and dreamy wall panels of handwoven chanderi and handspun cotton that narrate the journey of the brand. A unique feature in the new interiors is the ceiling that has reels running across with suspended installations of garments, allowing a three-dimensional view of the pieces.

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The Anita Dongre bridal, pret and menswear sections on the other hand, seek to recreate spatial patterns of the architecture of Rajasthan, a region that influences Anita’s work significantly, transporting us to the bygone era and regal splendour of a stately Haveli, spread across two floors. Much like old Indian homes, the rooms of the store meander into one another without any formal delineation—a progression of spaces akin to a home, with many rooms and passages intermingling. The space takes shape with the various architectural elements that define Rajasthan – arches, jallis, nooks & corners, niches & alcoves.

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Simple classic hand-crafted furniture with inlay and white metal are inter-spaced with bespoke colonial furniture upholstered in custom designed embroidered fabrics, lending an ambiance of quiet luxury and elegance.

Sharing her thoughts, Anita says, “I’ve always loved the multicultural vibe of New York City and I’m extremely excited to take Indian Bridal couture to New York. Earlier brides had to travel to India, in order to visit my store. Now, with the launch of a more easily accessible store the bride, groom and their family can enjoy the luxury and experience with bespoke services at the flagship Anita Dongre store. I also feel a sense of pride in taking Indian fashion to the city of dreams – New York.”

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The launch was co-hosted by her dear friend Fern Mallis. Kelly Rutherford, Courtney Sharma, Monica Dogra, Bibhu Mohapatra, Babi Ahluwalia, Suhel Seth, Diva Dhawan, Rasika Navare, Maria Che, Elizabeth Zayas, Megan Brody and Ashika Pratt were some of the guests who joined in the celebrations.

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Designer gifts for Sonam Kapoor’s wedding guests

The #everydayphenomenal wedding of Sonam Kapoor and Anand Ahuja has got the entire country hooked to their phone to get some inside scoop of the festivities.

For their Mehendi ceremony, the charming couple picked beautiful juttis from Fizzy Goblet as favours for their guests. Sticking to the theme of white and gold, the brand created a special design of their signature juttis named ‘Aisha’ which are handcrafted with mirror and sequin work. The back and lining of the juttis are made of leather with double cushioning for comfort to dance the night away.

Fashion Designer “Divya Sheth” a master of Indian Avant-Garde

Divya Sheth is a studio producing pieces of wearable art with a distinct flavour of avant- garde. Patrons would be made aware of the beauty, story and ideology of the garments they would be investing into. They would want to continue to work extensively in an ethical and sustainable environment where the weavers, craftsmen, tailors and patrons are in sync with the concept of the brand and are conscious of it’s benefits to them and society. In the longer run, the label envisions a once a year collection that is strongly based on a concept and remains true to it and not to cyclical trends & forecasts. Divya has several prestigious awards in her kitty. She has won “Elle Graduates 2018” award in Modern Indian Wear category & also “Gen Next” at Lakme Fashion Week 2014. Divya is one of the most sought after designer among Bollywood celebs as well. Lets know more about the designer & her love for fashion.

Your Name : Divya Sheth

Label : DIVYA SHETH

Where is your store located : We are soon opening a store in Kolkata 

Follow/Buy/Query : Instagram  Facebook  Website

Describe your label with its Signature style : Its art inspired and artisanal fashion label. Natural dyes’ colour palette, amalgam of Indian textiles is prominent in my collections.

Who are your real customers : My real customers are environmentally conscious, bold, bored of bling, interested in organic, art inspired, and evolved consumers who buy to feel not just flaunt.

What inspires you in design : Books, museums, art fairs, travel, history, movies, meetings with my clients and current environmental issues all have a part to play.

Style Icon : HRH Maharani Gayatri Devi Ji and Emma Watson 

Best Fashion Memory : Still to carve out my best fashion memory, but the journey so far has been etched as a beautiful one.

Piece of fashion you wish you have introduced in this world : We’re working on a range of “KURMONO’S” that are a trance between the Indian kurta and Japanese kimonos. 

Your Favorite Shopping Place : Internet, flea markets in London and Kyoto, Japan. I buy very less, I mostly make what I need.

Your favorite Brands / Designers and why : Junya Watanabe, Comme des Garçons, Stella McCartney, Anamika Khanna and Sabyasachi for their individual style, experimentation, and love of art and detail.

Which celebrity or person would you love to design someday : Mr. Narendra Modi, Oprah and Michelle Obama.

Favourite style from a movie : Movies do inspire, Marilyn Monroe in Seven year itch is unforgettable.

Colors you can die for : Indigo

Fashion Tips for others : Fashion is very personal. 

“One of a kind” Jewellery by Designer “Lara Morakhia”

With a strong aesthetic and deep love for all things old, Lara launched a jewellery line which uses her creative vocabulary to mix and match somewhat familiar elements in an unfamiliar way. Pieces of vintage silver and antique jewellery are upcycled and re-imagined with the use of precious stones and turned into wearable art – that one can weave into any style of dressing whether Indian, western or indo-western making each of her pieces one of a kind.

Your Name : Lara Morakhia

Label : Lara Morakhia

Where is your store located?

LARA MORAKHIA
STUDIO ADDRESS
706 Raheja Centre
Free Press Journal Marg
214 Nariman Point
Mumbai 400 021

Online storewww.laram.in

Follow/Query/Buy : Instagram Facebook

Describe your label with its Signature style : One of a kind, where each and every finished piece of jewellery is a single one. Bold in design and hand crafted to preserve it’s authentic and antique style. Reinventing the old to be more relevant in today’s age with no fear of merging cultures, metals and tribal elements, quirky but still impeccable infusing inspiration from cross continental travel. Uniqueness of design as each piece is an expression of creativity and wearable art. A kaleidoscope of antique jadtar, gold beads,  pearl and vintage  silver seamlessly fused  and hand made to reinvent into a ‘ONE OF  A KIND’ earrings, rings, neckpieces and kadas. Some strung in leather or tied over african masai bead and bone and set with vilandi diamonds, emeralds and rubies.

Our main signature style is antique jadau gold and silver set together mixing these two metals in their original forms.

Who are your real customers : Someone who values antiques and preserving the past in wearable art forms, who wants to stand out with a one of a kind designed piece of jewellery, who appreciates art. Women who are not afraid to try new designs and concepts and materials in jewellery.  Someone who is not afraid to try to be different -that’s why my pieces are one of a kind.

                                                                                     What inspires you in design : Imagination – The past and the glamorous stars of yesteryears, the memories of how the royal dressed and wore jewellery. The way they layered jewellery over the outfits and turbans. Only maximalism showing culture history and adventure, in the same way I put layer over layer in each and every jewellery piece with silver and gold. I am inspired from cross continental travel ,walking up and down the streets of manhattan – my second home, enchanted junk shops, temples, tanjore paintings, museums.

Style Icon : Iris Van Apfel

Best Fashion Memory : My mother – stunning on stage wearing close toe kitten heels in the 60’s with sheer net and embroidered chiffon saris and long hair till her knees but braided in a bun with mogra flowers in her hair.

Piece of fashion you wish you have introduced in this world : Attitude – fashion is cyclical. It’s always been there someone just reinvents it. Attitude is the way you carry fashion and make it your own.

Your Favorite Shopping Place : Antique and vintage shops – amman jordan for fabulous bedouin silver, Rajasthan, Burma, Bhutan and Africa. Shopping for me is not limited to any borders.

Your favorite Brands / Designers and why : I don’t have favorite right now as it’s a mix of bling or minimalism and torn clothing and the market caters only to the younger generation which shows lack of history and soul.

I recreate my own look from antique and vintage clothing that I have sourced and create my look with my own brand label jewellery with which I accessories the outfit.

Which celebrity or person would you love to design someday : Everyone who wears my jewellery is my celebrity but a person who is happy and adventurous with confidence is the women I would design for a person who makes the day count as you only live once.

Favourite style from a movie : Mirch masala set in rural Gujarat (memories of my home town of patan) – tribal, colorful, vibrant against the barren dry desert sand. Women who fights the oppression and shows women power and the individuality.

Colors you can die for : Silver and Gold 

Fashion Tips for others : No rules. You must know yourself. Style is your own uniqueness. If you’re not comfortable with it, no matter how marvellous the outfit is you will not be able to carry the look. Take a chance, why should you look like everyone else. Invest in interesting accessories.

The most creative collection & fashion show at India Runway Week Season 10

India Runway Week Season 10 happened recently at Delhi’s DLF Place started from 20th April 2018 to 22nd April. Among all the designers, we found the best collection & most interesting fashion show is of young designer Sunidhi Goradia. She mainly presented Indo-Western Sarees with sexy blouses. Sunidhi played with shiny fabrics, fringes, layers & ruffles. The music for the show was apt and showing the mood of the collection perfectly.

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Meet designer duo Saaksha & Kinni : Bollywood Celebs favourite Designers

Saaksha & Kinni is their vision, their expression and their ode to tradition. The label is just two years old and was built around an emphasis to create impactful and comfortable occasion wear. With over eight years of experience in designing embroidery swatches in house for leading brands such as Balmain, Ellie Saab, & Armani, they decided to translate their embroideries into their own garments.

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All the while keeping on mind their tradition and roots in India – Their bold prints, metal and stone embroidery techniques and their love of Indian fabrics like chanderi. Their aim is to take their luxe-boho garments to the greater audience, all the while representing India and staying true to their heritage yet keeping in mind the needs of the modern global woman. Lets know more about

Sonam kapoor fashion

Your Name : Saaksha Bhatt

Label :Saaksha & Kinni

Where is your store located : We presently don’t have a store.

Follow / Query : Instagram  Twitter  Facebook

Describe your label with its Signature style : Impactful and comfortable occasional wear with signature badla – metal and thread embroideryE5A14933-C754-4EC1-8502-37AFF619C0F3

Who are your real customers: Empowered women who are not afraid to stand out from the crowd.

What inspires you in design : Real women, nature and the ability to create magic that stems from a single paper and pen.

Style Icon : Iris Apfel

Best Fashion Memory : Jennifer Lopez in Versace at the Grammy Awards 2000.

Piece of fashion you wish you have introduced in this world: The 1926 Coco Chanel little black dress.D284749F-5525-4EF5-A3D4-BF011F4D7710Your Favorite Shopping Place : Chanel store in any city.

Your favorite Brands / Designers and why: Dries Van Notes – his visionary ability to mix bold prints and yet retain elegance is unmatched.Which celebrity or person would you love to design someday : Kate Middleton

Favourite style from a movie : Breakfast At Tiffany – The black Givenchy dress.

Colors you can die for: Black Fashion Tips for others: Dress for your body type!

“Sleek Eacape” : An everyday wear collection by jewellery designer Suhani Pittie

“Every day is a fashion show & world is your runway!”

Showing up to work or strolling in the park, every occasion needs style and jewels add life to these mundane moments to turn them into spectacles. Our latest collection ‘Sleek Escapes’ is an everyday wear range with jewels that steal you away from the everyday grind into the world of elegance in a blink of an eye.Designer jewellery collection

Featuring gracefully crafted motifs like bows and metal wrapped pearls, the ethos of the collection is soft yet smart, easy to wear but high on impact. With clean and minimal silhouettes, the pieces from the collection are comfortable for daily use and are great to travel with. Designed to be the ‘wear-anywhere’ accents, each jewel from the collection is the jewel-box staple for every woman getting ready to take on a new day. Available in various finishes like Gold, Rose Gold and Silver, the collection carries elegant drop earrings, stackable finger rings and refined layered necklaces, all right on trend for the sunny summer months.

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The collection is priced starting Rs.2000 to Rs.7500
Available at both our online store and at our Hyderabad Flagship store.

To buy the jewellery or to query Click Here