Nachiket’s new ‘fossil’ love, Nida’s old B-wood obsession

Nachiket’s new ‘fossil’ love, Nida’s old B-wood obsession

After a sporty and sensuous opening by designers Masaba Gupta and Anupama Dayal on Day 1 of the ongoing Wills Lifestyle Fashion Week Summer/Spring (WIFW SS '14), designers Nachiket Barve and Nida Mahmood showcased their chic and spunky collections respectively.

While Nachiket presented an impressiveensemble range inspired from impressions of foliage, textures of granite, marble and other rocks; the uber cool Nida Mahmood used fashion as a medium to celebrate hundred years of Indian cinema. With a quirky mixture of technique and aesthetics, both Nida Mahmood's 'bolly-punk' attitude and Nachiket's serious and intricate use of fabric and pattern combined to display a promising show.

Playing the technique right
From crop tops, boxy tops, long fluid dresses, cuffed cropped pants, oversize slouchy jackets to palazzos and sexy bra tops, the silhouettes and detailing in Nachiket's collection titled 'Fossil' floored all. The designer used a new method of wrap-dyeing to mimic the texture of sedimentary rocks and vein patterns that added much meaning to his themed collection. The prehistoric Ginkgo trees reinterpreted into Ginkgo fossil Chanderi coats, marbled draped long dresses and pleated lungi skirts were innovative and pleasantly unique. Outfits in silk were stitched in a manner that they successfully retained the breathable quality of summer-spring wardrobe. "My collection is refreshing for me. It is rich in technique but extremely light to wear," said Nachiket post show. Fine bullion embroidery and gossamer like thread-work on garments were executed with finesse and immaculate precision. Dyed sarees, perforated silk and wrap cape tops occasionally teamed with belts completed the overall look. Gigantic dragonflies called 'Meganeura' and spiral 'Ammonite' mollusks exquisitely done up on tops, jackets and shirts worn above trousers, shorts and skirts were some of the prominent trends observed on the WIFW ramp.

Colour palette: Summery neutrals in tones of chalk, oatmeal, sandstone, ivory, silver grey, beige, old rose and others brightened up the ensemble range by many degrees.

Fabrics used: Silk, Chanderi, crepe, georgette, organza, cotton, Lurex, raw silk, spun silk and dupion added richness to the collection.

Nida Mahmood presents 'Bombay Bioscope'
Nida Mahmood never fails to make us laugh and dance on Bollywood numbers. When it's Nida, you know you are far from being bored. As voices of B-town actors like Amitabh Bachchan,Salman Khan and Amrish Puri echoed in the background, we saw a group of models sauntering in wearing masks sideways. 'Bombay Bioscope' was a delightful experience for the audience who slowly got into the groove. Shiny and glitzy clothes screaming out loud thanks to popular Bollywood faces imprinted all over did not for once let us forget Nida's incredible 'filmy' sartorial mark. Like a visual story of the moving picture on screen, Nida presented a collection where three different styles came together in an artistic way. Line-art wire framing constellations, three-dimensional triangulations and angular crystallized forms combined well to pay an ode to the magic of moving images. Short-kurtas paired with sporty shorts and hot pants, flowy and puffed up gowns, sarees draped around jeans and worn with collared blouses were some of the prominent designs showcased. Big A4-sized bags accessorised most of Nida's creations.

Front row guests: Apart from a promising bunch of potential buyers and socialites, celebrities in the likes of Kathak danseuse Shovana Narayan and actor Naseer Abdullah were spotted enjoying the show. Australian cricketer Brett Lee was also present at the venue
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