Diva of Indian fashion gets a 'bindaas' LABEL!
There's reason why Ritu Kumar dresses Miss India's year after year, and it was very apparent at her show on Sunday. Her new line, called LABEL, recreated ethnicwear and should appeal to the modern woman who loves the colours & fabrics of India but wants it styled in a 'fun, devil may care' fashion.
There is reason why Ritu Kumar dresses the Miss India's year after year, and it was very apparent at her IFW show on Sunday.
Kumar's collections are always steeped in the ancient textile heritage of India, but articulate themselves using a very modern and trendy sartorial language. Predominant this year was an exhaustive range of crinkled skirts teamed with an assortment of tops. The controlled volumes of the crinkled georgette and chiffon skirts were seen in colours of red, pink, maroon, black, turquoise, fuchsia and cobalt blue.
The opening was racey and summery and a departure from Indian motifs where unexpectedly for Kumar the palette burst forth with graffiti with flowers, chrysanthemums with butterflies, bamboo screens with hibiscus all in a palette of black and white which is part of the new LABEL line - young and fun.
The design elements consisted of solid jewel colours, typical Ritu prints, and embroideries. An interesting variation was brought in by combining elements from the costumes of Rajasthani and Gujrati gypsies with those of Spanish origin. The skirts inspired by this confluence appeared as crinkled skirts with ruffled flamenco style black petticoats, layered underskirts and even trailing hemlines. Several of the skirts were embellished with zardozi embroidery, and some were even teamed with sueded silk-thread embroidered jackets. Beaten silver dots or mokesh and mirror work added the sparkle and glitter to the ensembles.
Kumar's new line recreated ethnicwear - in stretch lycra and t-shirts with interesting detailing in a riot of colours and patterns ranging from the Kutch region of Gujarat to the pushkar fairs all were interpreted in an innovatively 'bindaas' collection. It would perhaps strike a chord with the modern woman who loves the colours and fabrics of India but wants it styled in a 'fun, devil may care' fashion.
Another interesting line was the western wear range in faded denims and worked on with floral patterned vintage appliqués and embroideries. The fitted skirts, capris, jackets and pants were pretty and feminine. The lines of white and pastel kurtas teamed with skirts and churidars, and gota work odhni's were equally elegant.
Everlasting style, that's the promise of Ritu Kumar's new collection.