Weaves that wow : More of Hyderabad magic at LFW

At the Lakmé Fashion Week Winter/Festive 2013 in Mumbai, fashion designers Shravan Kumar and Gaurang Shah from Hyderabad wowed the audience with their wonderful weaves

The signature styles of the two designers appealed to many fashionistas. Shravan presented the glamorous fusion, ethnic and western collections as part of a refreshing melangé of rich fabrics. Gaurang, known for showcasing ace textiles, introduced the beauty of patan patola, the gorgeous fabric from Patan in Gujarat. It was the ‘star’ of Gaurang’s collection called “Stridhan”.

Shravan’s melange of handlooms

Comprising a rich melangé of handlooms, designer Shravan’s range included fusion, ethnic and western creations for women. Drawing on a colour palette revolving around grey, white and candy pink and at times amber tones, there were ethnic prints like lotus, parrot and jhalar with the garments offered as formal stylish wear.

An avant garde printed gown with grey/pink bodice, swirling, panelled, printed skirt and cropped top were the highlights of the show. Lehenga with peplum blouse, a sexy maxi skirt with contrasting godets and bikini top, Anarkalis, gowns with ornate shrugs, figure-hugging tunics over kalidaar skirts and a swirling gown caught the eye of the audience. Will-power jumpsuits patched and printed, a colour blocked mermaid-shaped halter gown, drop crotch pants with tops, shimmering crystal bikini tops were teamed with panelled lehengas, dhoti pants and midi skirts. Saris looked regal with pretty embellishments and the dupattas at times had cutouts.

Men’s wear continued with the print and colour story for sherwanis, jackets, kurtas, waistcoats, soft covers with padded shoulders and once again drop crotch pants.

The very striking high-heel laced-up boots were in self-designed khadi with silver zari and printed fabrics that added a retro look to the garments. Interestingly crafted bags from bamboo and recycled leather completed the look.

The show ended with a double offering of celebs: ace Ad man, Prahlad Kakar in a grey/white printed sherwani, kurta and churidar, while Bollywood star Shriya Saran modelled a printed lehenga, pink bustier and dupatta.

Gaurang Shah’s Patolas

The Patolas, considered auspicious because of the colours and designs, are part of a woman’s Stridhan or treasure during her marital journey.

The show opened with a foot-tapping Gujarati song by Veena to the beat of a live band as models strutted in from the audience. Gaurang Shah dressed in white kurta and gorgeous Patola dhoti, made an exuberant entry and immediately broke into a lively garba dance with the singer.

Reviving the weaving art of Patan Patola from Patan, where this double ikat Patolu sari takes nearly 1-2 years to weave; Gaurang added more Indian crafts to the fabric to pay homage to their masters by combining Patola with Parsi Gara embroidery, Kanjeevaram borders, gotas and fabric textures.

Gaurang revived the motifs of Patola with inspirations from ‘Rani-ki-vav’ like rattan chok bhat, nari kunjar bhat, fulvadi bhat, pan bhat, chabadi bhat, and popat kunjar bhat. For women’s wear, Gaurang created regal Anarkalis, swirling lehengas, shararas and ghagras - some having a 10-12 metres flare; while saris and khadi dupattas were added to complete the ethnic images. Keeping the look very demure and sedate, the models kept their heads covered with intricately embroidered or lined reversible dupattas.

Introducing four traditional men’s wear outfits, Gaurang remained loyal to the theme with Patan Patola sherwani, dhoti, kurta and even a turban (pagadi) which had five and a half metres of fabric. It is said that the Patola fabric may tear, but will never fade -- so fast are the colours of the patterns!

Closing the show was the ever gorgeous and gracious Kirron Kher, a perfect showstopper wearing a stunning Patola sari and dupatta.