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Anuradha Vakil
A truly Indian collection! Anuradha Vakil seamlessly merged old textiles with the new for a collection that looked fit for a Mughal princess. Saris took center stage.
A truly Indian collection! Anuradha Vakil seamlessly merged old textiles with the new for a collection that looked fit for a Mughal princess. Saris took center stage. The first set of collections seemed inspired by home textiles. The fabric looked so soft that you would want to wrap yourself in them. The saris had an endless feeling to them as the pallus were draped really long, trailing behind on the floor.
Anuradha excels at merging new and old textiles – so you’re not sure which piece is an antique and which is not. Each garment resembled an heirloom. But that did not take away from its modern appeal! The Sari blouses were daring – the bikini blouse being one of her favored silhouettes. From Lehriya to kalamkari Anuradha embraced traditional Indian techniques with élan. A longish sleeveless jacket with a sari and the pallu popping out of one side of the jacket added an unusual twist to her collection.
Towards the end of the show, the saris got more formal. Gold borders were apparent and the colour palette got brighter. A purple sari with a turquoise blouse, an orange sari with a rani-pink blouse, izar trousers with zardosi were teamed with a long kurta – very Mughal. Her showstopper was Shabana Azmi, a faithful client, in a royal blue embellished sari worn with a deep red blouse and bandhini stole. Shabana epitomized the Anuradha Vakil woman.
THE OTHER VIEW: Timeless weaves
Meeta Mishra/HT City
Timeless is how one can describe the collection presented by Ahmedabad-based designer Anuradha Vakil. A collection in handcrafted silks the textures varied from coarse khadi-like silks to shimmering, sensuous kind. Though saris dominated the collection also seen on the ramp were parallel pyjamas with kurtas. Anuradha also showed how the textiles, could easily be used to make skirts, shirts, kurtas et al.
The eveningwear collection boasted of fine needlework and three types of embroideries -suf (rare, counted thread embroidery), kalamkari (handpainting technique in vegetable dyes) and kalabattun (embroideries in silver and gold). And the showstopper presented by Shabana Azmi was a smart juxtaposition of old and new; a newly woven saree with a 75 years old border.
Rate-o-meter
Wearability: 10
Presentation: 9 (the dramatic entry of Shabana Azmi was cherry on the cake) Front Row: Cultural impresario Rajiv Sethi, Malvika Tiwari, painter Manjit Bawa, designer Poonam Bhagat
Buzz factor: 9
Late-o-meter: 15 mins
