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Lucknow?s hip & happenin
Lucknow?s not a step behind Mumbai or Delhi in style, charm or a chic lifestyle. We?re actually rocking more so with the city witnessing its very first Fashion Week. And, even the models down for this show are equally top-notch. Ex-Miss World Yukta Mukhi showcased latest designs on the first two days of the Week. But city fashionistas are not far behind either. They are keeping pace with the times. In fact, some guest models from the Metros were zapped to see the panache with which Lucknow models carried themselves.
Lucknow’s not a step behind Mumbai or Delhi in style, charm or a chic lifestyle. We’re actually rocking more so with the city witnessing its very first Fashion Week. And, even the models down for this show are equally top-notch. Ex-Miss World Yukta Mukhi showcased latest designs on the first two days of the Week. But city fashionistas are not far behind either. They are keeping pace with the times. In fact, some guest models from the Metros were zapped to see the panache with which Lucknow models carried themselves.
Dressing the beauty
During her participation in the ongoing Fashion Week, Yukta Mukhi draped a fish-cut raw silk lengha which had embroidery all over in zardozi. This, she teamed with a corset and complimented it with a crushed stole. In the final round, she wore a spaghetti top and wraparound skirt done in silver arri and sequence work.
“First, she was very apprehensive about the dresses but later she felt very comfortable and was very happy about it,” said NIFTian Anurup Ranjan who designed the dress for her in the show organised by Impulsion.
The fashion trend
In the Fashion Week, all 46 Khadi dresses for male and female models were showcased on the first day. “These were Indian and Western garments — ladies’ tops, spaghetti tops, wraparounds, trousers and various combination of tops. All dresses had unique embroidery work in chikan, aari and zadozi and some dresses also had machine embroidery. We used variant of khadis like pure cotton, polyester cotton and pure silk. Garments also complimented with tie-and-die affects with add-ons like svarowski crystals, poths and beads. In the men’s silk kurta similar handicraft work in very masculine colours was the highlight,” says Ranjan.
Why Khadi
Khadi has a distinct comfort factor. It is very popular in foreign countries as well as in India with silhouettes and styling. Earlier, it was limited to politicians and elders but it becoming a fashion statement for youths. In time to come, khadi will be the most marketable fashion product and then designers who have done most experiments and innovation with this fabric will get returns.
Brandalisation
With top brands like Marks & Spencer, Levis, Pantaloon, Metro and high-fashion store like Spykar arriving in the fashion arena, the scenario is certainly looking up. “GenNow can now flaunt a branded ‘dangerously low-waist’ denim teamed with Bohemian tops at par with their counterparts in Mumbai. We now don’t need to shop from Delhi and the trend will be witnessed in the fashion statement flaunted by the youths here,” says Mayank Kant who loves keeping pace with the latest.
Modelspeak
Ramp model Parul from Delhi feels the dress she flashes at shows in the Metros are more of high-fashion and focused on the West. “The dresses we flaunted in Lucknow are more Indio-Western version and which people here can actually wear. The designers are keeping the need of society in mind and we foresee that these dresses will soon hit the market and be highly successful.”
Parul did her schooling in Meerut and says: “Fashion used to be taboo here but I’m happy to see that its growing now.”
Another model Kris says: “People here are quite fashionable. Designers will get good business as I see that the audience itself is quiet fashion conscious and these designs will be successful.”
Flashing a beaming smile, as she does on the ramp, Tulika Singh quips: “I feel Lucknow is on a par with Delhi and Mumbai on the fashion front. The dresses have been created keeping in mind the latest trend and the comfort level of models which is very important.”
