Genext show: 8 designers debut
Atithi Gupta:u00a0Like many other showcasing a similar range of garments in twill silk teamed with tweeds or wools, made contemporary with pleats and pockets, Gupta's collection became predictable. Magenta zipper mini jackets with linen pants and interesting necklines were the highlights.
Vinit Agarwal:u00a0Heavy with Indian embroidery, the silhouettes were Western; think collared shrugs and racer-back shift dresses. We liked how he mixed velvet in the sleeves, breaking the monotony of the embroidery and lending elegance to the garment, at once. Agarwal's ability to play around with necks, sleeves and a bright colour palette was apparent; he gave a turtle-neck feel to a complete Indian avatar by wrapping stoles around the models' necks.
Gopal Roy:u00a0Roy's collection lacked variety and creativity. The patchwork, texturised dresses in a dull colour palette had little to please the eye in terms of choice of fabric, cuts and wearability.
Tanvi Kedia:u00a0For a first-time showcase, Kedia's range seemed sure of itself. Kedia was bold enough to experiment with different fabrics, using running trends to her own advantage and styling outfits with bright toran-type neck pieces, funky leggings and Kashmiri shoes. The overall look featured kitschy trinkets and little specks of sequin embroidery on translucent fabrics, along with funky jackets thrown over dresses with traditional embroidery as the highlights of the garment.
Shweta Chawcharia:u00a0A tree-bark brown-black texturised element took over belts, harem pant pegs and jacket and shoulder hems on this one. Blending stark white fabrics with glossy effect, the outfits looked garish and mismatched. Chawcharia only got the dhoti-style harem pants with pegs right.
Paromita Banerjee:u00a0The maturity in her craftwork was commendable. The collection was subtle with beautiful neon embroidery on dark-coloured garments planted in the bottom half of the outfit, or making a surprise appearance on the shawl. Predominantly dresses were showed and we especially liked the jacket dress worn over shorts, or maybe another inconspicuous dress.
Sonam Mehta:u00a0 Mehta may have played it safe by applying the tried-and-tested fusion formula, but she still managed to put her voice in each of the garments. Predominantly in shades of brown, cowl dresses, empire line brocade dresses and handmade textured jackets saw the use of zardozi and zari work. We loved the deep cut backs.
Tuhina and Parul Shukla:u00a0The range was far from wearable but showcased the duo's potential u2014 to think out of the box with tailoring and multi-layering u2014 a definite risk for newbie designers. Hints of plaid featured on folded dresses, topped with organza bows and baroque-inspired 3D surface; we thought the plaid stockings could be the next fad, after plaid pants and dresses.
