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B`lore Fashion Week sets the ramp on fire

Bangalore Fashion Week offers a colourful palette of exquisite designs.

Bangalore: The second edition of Blenders Pride Bangalore Fashion Week set the ramp on fire treating fashion aficionados to a colourful palette of exquisite designs by some of the upcoming GenNext designers who not only had svelte models but charming young world Billiards champion Pankaj Advani walking the ramp for them.The four-day kaleidoscopic fashion extravaganza which culminated here last week had 22 creative designers showcasing their vast repertoire of ensembles from sleek western to classic fusion of Indo-Western and the beautifully embroidered ethnic Indian in a riot of colours.
The young Mumbai-based designer Swapnil Shinde who has styled bollywood celebrities like Priyanka Chopra, Lara Dutta and popular model like Mugdha Godse besides creating a special wardrobe for current Femina Miss India Pooja Chopra for the Miss World 2009 Pageant, had the audience asking for more with his elegant off-shoulder gowns and tunics in gossamer chiffons and smooth satins mainly in shades of pearly white, peach, green and blue. It was designers Priya Singh, Preeti Chandra and Abdul Halder who stole the show on the second day. Priya`s autumn winter collection "Eklavya" mainly had different hues of brown as the colour palette. A few accent colours such as red, green and purple broke the monotony of creams and browns and embued the collection with brightness. Her collection was a pret-a-porter, carefree daily wear for women who are confident to walk over thin imperfections with the best of her silhouettes. Intricate eastern silk with bold western patterns; the styling consisted of a sparkling mixture of trend and tradition-- rough curls and glass bangles. Flowers and butterflies drift in colour-illuminating spring-- that is what comes to mind when one sees the Spring Summer Collection 2010 of Preeti Chandra. Her collection is about lightness and romance and has subtle feminity- the overall look is very whimsical, cool and chic. Soft serene palatte with chalky, light faded powdered talcum colours were accompanied by more intense shades of beige, neon pink, springtime pastels and monotones in rose pinks. For Preeti who started her career in New York in 1996, there has been no looking back since then. Her self-styled label "Preeti Chandra" reflects her personality, a spirit of freedom with undertones of gypsy-like feminine spirit. The form of her collection is simple and the structure easy with special cuts, fall, finesse and style creating timeless outfits, with attention to every meticulous detail. Preeti who has made a name for herself in international fashion arena, besides retailing from New Delhi, retails from countries including the US, Singapore, Dubai, Turkey, Hong Kong, Spain, Kuwait and Bahrain. Abdul Halder`s trousseau collection for men and woman stood out for its class and elegance. Italian fabrics of brands like Martinelli, Versace and Zegna were used for the men`s wardrobe while for the women`s collection Abdul played around with polkis, kundan and swarovski to render the perfect bridal look. The collection included lehengas, wedding gowns and bandhgalas, typical of wedding-- with lots of embroidery work. Contemporary and haute are two words that describe the creation of this Mumbai-based designer house PrashantSudha, which ranged from high luxury couture to pret, trousseaus, and evening wear.While specialising in designs that flatter the feminine, use of elements like glittering embroidery, gathers, pleats and generous use of gems, precious stones and exquisite brooches were the hallmarks of their collection. Bangalore`s very own Ramesh Dembla`s elite, elegant designs in Indo-Western clothes have crossed the shores of India and gone as far as Los Angeles. It was Ron Moss, the famous American actor, musician and singer, best known for his role in the soap opera "The Bold and the Beautiful" who noticed Dembla`s label in Los Angeles and later also walked the ramp for him. The other designer who captivated the audience on day three, was Archana Kochhar with her rustic Indian wedding collection "Jalsa" (celebration) in ethnic colours of sunshine yellow, bright red, fuschia pink, parrot green, aubergine and flaming orange. The grand finale of the extravaganza was marked by the captivating collections of Italian Designer Claudia Antonini and the famous Delhi-based designer duo Shanthanu and Nikhil, who literally had the fashion lovers of Bangalore eating out of their hands. Claudia`s collection which was showcased for the first time in the country, brought the 1950`s Hollywood glamour on the ramp, capturing the contemporary woman`s eye. With interesting necklines, the collection comprised intricate bejewelled embroidery on the gowns for the evening wear. The daring designers were among the first to venture into the business of redesigning an entire look for the Bollywood icon, Amitabh Bachchan, which took gaming on Indian television by storm. Today some of the leading sports personalities including Serena Williams, Zaheer Khan and Glen McGrath and Bollywood stars like Hrithik Roshan, Shahrukh Khan and Kareena Kapoor have become purveyors of their style. Their collection "Signature from Ladakh" presented eternal femininity draped in lush classicism. A mesmerising fusion of Indian culture with modern sensibility, their colour palette enveloped India in its purest form, from the virginal whites to vintage chromes. While keeping the collection essentially subtle with Indian monochromatic tones, the launguage was contemporary and silhouette centric, thereby appealing to the global woman who is not only confident and independent but also is young well-travelled sophiticate. PTI