Sabyasachi show at LFW 2011 on day 1

SABYASACHI MUKHERJEE PRESENTED BY AIRCEL ENDED THE FIRST DAY AT LAKMÉ FASHION WEEK
WITH A STUNNING SUMMER/RESORT 2011 COLLECTION. Day One of Lakmé Fashion Week ended with Sabyasachi Mukherjee’s stunning Summer/Resort 2011 collection which was inspired by Aircel’s CSR project SAVE THE TIGER.

The packed hall of the Grand Hyatt Hotel had the designer’s fans applauding as Sabyasachi dwelled deep into the crafts of rural Bengal, Rajasthan and used the Sundarbans as the basis of his creativity. Giant tree cutouts on the stage and an all black ramp with a Sundarbans inspired motif set the mood for the dramatic collection.

Very trendy and utterly contemporary in style and form, the line of clothing had a wonderful international feel with a clever use of Indian textiles and prints so characteristic of Sabyasachi’s designing skills.

Starting the show with a line of yellow, black and ivory tones inspired by the colours of the Indian Tiger, Sabyasachi presented a collection that moved through the various decades of fashion. There was the fun and freedom of the 20s, followed by the elegance of the 30s and 40s. There were touches of the 70s Boho chic and the 80s daring arresting bras.

Mixing khadi with the rough matty weave of handloom fabrics in brilliant Rajasthani prints and colours for skirts and blouses, Sabyasachi’s silhouettes were often lean and long for shifts, skirts and even shirts. For summer comfort there were bikini tops, playsuits with flared hems, palazzos and even three chotu saris pioneered by the designer worn over long lush skirts. The earthy tones were beautifully matched with the brights which gradually emerged for the ensembles.

The somber models with horn rimmed spectacles and top knot hair dos strutted down the ramp in long tubes, flowing gathered maxis, cutwork black fluid pants, tasseled will power neck tunics with orange checked pants, shimmering sharara-like jumpsuits and lacey rustic billowy gowns. The chandelier like shoulder interest at times resembled lamp shades or umbrellas but added a quirky touch to the ensembles.

Mixing the prints, embellishments and fabrics in daring forms is something only Sabyasachi can do with great aplomb. The final trio of boldly printed sack gowns with deep cut armholes was a brilliant end to a stunning show.

Here was a new very innovative look from Sabyasachi Mukherjee, the Master of Kitsch as he gave the genre an haute couture appeal but at the same time proved his unparallel knowledge of fine construction and style.