Fash foot forward at Lakme Fashion Week 2011

Designer Anamika Khanna’s exquisite collection marked the opening of the Lakme Fashion Week Summer/ Resort 2011 in Mumbai at the offsite location of Tote on Thursday. The collection was a combination of the ethereal and the androgynous along with the sublime and the temporal. Models criss- crossed one another on the indoor- outdoor runway draped in dresses, wide legged pants, belted jackets, tuxedo shirts and tailored coats.

The collection welcomed the masculine silhouettes, structured long coats and fitted cuts finally elbowing out the flirty, voluminous and feminine forms that have dominated the runway season for far too long. With a classic colour palette of whites and blacks, the presentation of delicate chikan kurtas paired with pyjamas, waistcoats worn over lehengas and skirts and tiny cholis teamed with voluminous straight leg pants gave the perfect masculine touch to conventional feminine drapes.

The subtle thread work, appliqué detailing and cut out work embroidered on the jackets, coats, borders, cuffs and sleeves drew its inspiration from India’s ancient regal era. The dhoti played a major inspiration for the drapes that gave this comfortable yet contemporary collection the unmistaken Indian touch.

To beat the sweltering heat, the fabrics were restricted to breathable mulmuls, cottons and linens with silk reserved for the formal ensembles. A set of ensembles in hues of deep red, maroons and purple broke the classic monotone leaving the audience wanting more.

The voluminous lehengas with thin gold borders were aesthetically beautiful and easy on the eye with simplistic elegance. Antique shawls, glittering collars, silk mojaris and juttis in silver, grey and gold also gave the perfect ethnic finish to this timeless collection.

The mood was set to the drumbeats of musicians Anup and Martin of Nirv-a-Funk who transported the audience to a world of eternal beauty and transcendental designs of the designer.

Actor Sonam Kapoor and her sister Rhea added sheen to the show as they turned up for Anamika.