LFW: Another hyped season ends with low excitement

Once a renowned fashion extravaganza, the Lakmé Fashion Week (LFW) ended with grand finale designers, Kallol Datta and Pankaj & Nidhi pulling the curtains down to a stylish yet not so extravagant affair. Though the fashion gala has not been able to

attract known fashion designers, business delegates or buyers and celebrities, the event continues to make a mark with its past legacy.

The highlight of this season was designers focusing more on wearable designs instead of creating collections just meant for ramps. From Payal Kapoor to Mayank Anand to Shraddha Nigam, all presented collections appropriate for any occasion. A range of tradition Indian women wear like long skirts, kurtas and lehengas comprised Kapoor’s collection and the highlight was show stopper Mini Mathur’s outfit. She dazzled on the ramp in rich magenta gold zardozi lehenga, choli and dupatta. Nigam used fabrics like Kota doria, Chaampa, tussore, Kashmiri silks, Maheshwari and Bangalore silks for her collection.

In its 13th year, LFW continued to bring in creative excellence, giving opportunities for new talent. In its continued endeavour to support and pay tribute to Indian textiles, LFW had invited industry veterans Jaya Jaitly, Darshan Shah, Maximiliano Modesti, Rita Kapur Chishti and Wendell Rodricks for workshops, demonstrations and panel discussions while Krishna Mehta returned as a curator for the day. Designers like Gaurang Shah, Krishna Mehta, Deepika Govind, Debarun Mukherjee, Vaishali Shadangule, Shruti Sancheti and others showcased the best of Indian weaves and crafts to extend their support to this unique initiative and help bring the dominance of Indian textiles and crafts to the fore.

Indeed the fashion industry was abuzz with news of lack from top designers like Manish Malhotra, Sabyasachi Mukherji, Vikram Phadnis, Rohit Bal, Rocky S, Tarun Tahilaini, Bibhu Mohapatra, James Ferari, Ritu Kumar, Anupama Dayal, Narendra Kumar, Nikhil & Shantanu, Arjun Khanna, Ritu Beri among others. But critics say the LFW is losing its historic status of being the prime fashion event, since it lacked the real fashion element. And like all previous weeks this time too there were splashes of quirky creativity from designers take for example, Rohan Arora' platforms built out of spikes, sequins and brocade to colour wheel-panel saris over doodle-print blouses and dress by AartiVijay Gupta there were numerous such examples of creativity at LFW.

Apart from wearability, offering a value for money designer wear ruled the LFW event. With apparel industry continuing to show signs of gloom and low consumer sentiment, most designers preferred creating value for money merchandise since they opined that consumers are consciously spending money. Most designers too tightened their purse strings when it comes to spending on doing the stall and shows keeping the current economic scenario in mind.

So the Lakme Fashion Week is over and Delhi is getting ready for another fashion extravaganza, the PCJ Couture Week that starts in the city today. But the question that the fashion industry needs an answer to is whether amidst the current recessionary phase is it worth having so many fashion galas in so many cities? Wouldn’t it be a feasible idea if all of them get together and circulate the show in different cities?