Monthly Archives: July 2010
Delhi Couture Week: Anamika Khanna
[youtube width="598" height="389"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19mRqJJSrxU[/youtube]
Her name may not be as well known outside of India like her contemporaries Manish Arora or Sabyasachi Mukherjee but Anamika Khanna is an extraordinary talent worth getting to know. There’s nothing jazzy or kitschy or avant-garde about her designs and it’s that lack of artifice and gimmick that makes her work stand out. Her design sensibility, choice of fabrics, and construction are always flawless and what I love about her work is that there is nothing extraneous in her designs. Every detail and embellishment only add to the finish and refinement of the garment and do not in any way detract from its design.
Delhi Couture Week: Manav Gangwani
[youtube width="598" height="389"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7iWiBbxdDZM[/youtube]
Manav Gangwani’s collection was a Swarovski crystal confection inspired by the movie “An Affair to Remember.” The clothes were indeed pretty and romantic with lots of shimmery saris and lenghas to please any starlet. There was, however, an element of excess to the collection. A sari does not need to be bedazzled to every inch of its fabric to be saleable and couture does not mean extravagant or over the top. Yes, it’s about creativity and workmanship but underneath all the pretty sparkle there has to be good design and construction. While Gangwani did show some beautiful pieces, the designer summed up his design philosophy to the press after his show when he said “Why not bling? Everyone loves bling. People who say that bling is tacky can’t afford it.” Thoughts?
Video: Gina Mathew. All rights reserved.
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Delhi Couture Week: Gaurav Gupta
[youtube width="598" height="389"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DxwV6AUDuE[/youtube]
Truth be told, I knew very little about designer Gaurav Gupta before I attended his show and had wondered about his inclusion in the lineup of designers for Delhi Couture Week. It wasn’t until I did a bit of research that I learned that Gupta is a graduate of the prestigious Central St. Martins College of Art and Design in London and his graduate collection was awarded the Future of Couture trophy at Altaroma Altamoda, Rome Couture fashion week. He then went on to work with designers Hussein Chalayan and Stella McCartney before returning to India in 2006 to launch his own label.