From breezy silhouettes, eclectic prints, vibrant colour palettes to dramatic detailing, the designers at the FDCI X Lakmé Fashion Week gave us some interesting trends. Read on to give your travel wardrobe a voguish upgrade! By Chirag Mohanty Samal
Been planning a beach holiday for some time? Or are you all excited about the long-awaited escape to the mountains? Holidays are always a welcome break and planning for them is no less engrossing, especially when it comes to putting the looks together. With all those Instagram posts and reels lined up from your vacay, we bet you want to look your best. And what’s better than turning to the runways for inspiration!
The FDCI X Lakmé Fashion Week that concluded yesterday, on March 27 after five days of fashion extravaganza, reminded fashion editors and influencers of what the spirit of fashion is all about. The fashion week returned to its physical format after two years and designers made all efforts to put out an interesting array of silhouettes, dramatic detailing, vibrant and peppy colour palettes, innovative techniques and a plethora of prints. By the looks of the collections on the ramps, it seems designers have replaced the earlier desire for escapism with an all-out celebratory mood, and this year is all about being happy and flaunting it.
Breezy silhouettes
As the pandemic forced us indoors and made us stay confined for two years, most of our fashion preferences underwent a drastic change. Form-fitting outfits made way for roomier silhouettes as comfort reigned supreme in our minds. The predilection towards comfort was visible in most of the collections from breezy short dresses and gowns to pantsuits, wide-leg pants and oversized jackets, the designers ensured that functionality and comfort met fashion.
Blooming florals
Florals in all shapes and sizes were ubiquitous on the ramp. From delicate florals dextrously embroidered on to ensembles at Rahul Mishra, Varun Bahl and Aisha Rao to the cheery printed florals at Payal Pratap, flower patterns are all the rage this season and the next.
Fringe benefits
Fringing is back in a big way. Think jackets with enough fringing to qualify them as dresses and tiered skirts with enough fringe-width to ensure continued social distancing. But if you aren’t sure about adding this trend to your closet, then take one step at a time and try to introduce them in small doses. Start with a fringe top or a skirt or a jacket just avoid pairing them together.
Colour blocking
There was ample colour blocking on the runway of FDCI X Lakmé Fashion Week. Though not a novel concept, this look always feels fresh and peppy. Vibrant, saturated colour combos popped up in Ashish Soni’s collection while the Two Point Two show had pops of contrasting colours in a kaleidoscope of prints—you can choose to wear it either way.
Sequins galore
The easing of COVID-19 restrictions also mean we would be socialising a lot more than before and all the parties that were called off will resurface again. Keeping this in mind Manish Malhotra, Falguni Shane Peacock, Tarun Tahiliani, Suneet Varma, Pankaj and Nidhi gave us all the sparkle that we really need.
Oblique cutouts
Last year we saw a slew of celebrities flaunt cutouts and going by the runway at FDCI X Lakmé Fashion Week, looks like the trend is here to stay for the whole of 2022. We saw some alluring oblique cutouts in western as well as ethnic silhouettes at Manish Malhotra, Falguni Shane Peacock, Reynu Taandon and Shruti Sancheti.
The Beachwear Upgrade
With the lifting of travel restrictions, designers have turned their focus on to beachwear and swimwear. Flowy kaftans in an array of prints ranging from tropical to geometrical were out on display along with a variety of swimwear in quirky colours and one piece designs with interesting accessories. Aarti Vijay Gupta, Ranna Gill, and Shivan and Narresh showed us the perfect swimsuits to wear to any destination.
Reimagined saris
Ready-to-wear or pre-draped saris have been in vogue for a while now. However, they got a glam update at the recent fashion week with Rimzim Dadu giving her redefined, metallic saris a new-age ripples and waves effect and veteran designer Tarun Tahiliani upgraded his hybrid saris with lightweight fabrics and newer textures and drapes with technology and aerodynamics. Confused about what to wear to the next destination wedding? Reimagined saris could pull you out of the quandary.
Oversized jackets
There was enough outer wear inspiration on the runway. Whether it’s an oversized trench coat, leather jacket or pop of colour to brighten up the dull days, the catwalks of FDCI X Lakmé Fashion Week had quite a few options from the collections of Shantanu and Nikhil, Rajesh Pratap Singh for Satya Paul, HUEMN and Pawan Sachdeva.
Related: How To Curate A Perfect Travel Wardrobe That Works In Any Destination, According To A Fashion Expert
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