The Best of India Couture Week 2014

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Sabyasachi Mukherjee, Manish Malhotra, Rohit Bal, Varun Bahl, Rina Dhaka, Manish Arora – need more names to figure out how special this week-long event was? From July 15^th to 20^th, the ramp at The Taj Palace Hotel in New Delhi played host to our country’s finest couturiers and their exquisite designs. Vibrant colours, impressive craftsmanship, rich fabrics and unmatched style were the key ingredients in this fashion extravaganza. Fashion Design Council of India’s (FDCI) official website described the occasion as “a vibrant celebration of Indian treasures” and a celebration it was. Super models and celebrities sashayed down the ramp, looking regal in their designer sarees, trendy Anarkalis and stylish lehengas.

Ready to take a tour of India’s best haute couture? Let’s take a look at some stunning moments of Shree Raj Mahal Jewellers India Couture Week 2014.

Sabyasaachi Mukherjee

At ICW 2014, Sabyasachi decided to rest his penchant for retro chic as the audience gazed at sharp sporty silhouettes, clean cuts, daring v-necks – – but essentially Sabya flair with a generous sprinkling of novelty.

“I wanted to do something with a lot of very bright metallic work that I don’t normally do because my work is quite toned down, and I wanted to do it on unusual materials, like lehengas made out of canvas.”

And unusual is what he did with his dazzling lehengas, sarees and tunics. The show area got its share of extraordinary charm too – transformed into the interiors of a vintage luxury train.

Anju Modi

Her deep knowledge of Indian arts and crafts, deconstruction of traditional bridal wear and styles borrowed from menswear, brought together Anju Modi’s Manikarnika collection for India Couture Week 2014.

“The embroideries are derived from the architecture, with the paintings of the Ajanta-Ellora caves as perfect muses to the artwork and details.”

The designer sarees, lehengas and anarkalis painted the ramp in hues of red, blue, black and gold. Dhoti pants and bandhgalas made an appearance too – not on men, but as Angrakha tunic bottoms and saree blouses.

Varun Bahl

Bubble crepe and Byzantine woven damask shimmered on Anarkalis with renewed flounce and saree pants took centre stage at Varun Bahl’s couture show. Re-inventing Indian staples was the idea behind this collection which culminated from ten years of the celebrated designers “experiences and experiments”.

“What is couture if not absolutely bespoke, both in make as well as concept?”

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All the elements from his favourite shows in the past found their place in the lineup – intricate gota and hand-embroidery on chiffon, signature rose motif, appliqué on velvet, layers and colours like duck shell blue, navy, ivory, pale pink and mustard.

Manish Malhotra

Truly a king of couture, Manish Malhotra wowed us again with his “Portraits” collection that carried a lot of weight in Zari on silk and velvet, straight from the work tables of talented Kashmiri craftsman. Ivory thread work gave company to the gilt shades on beige, browns, grape-wine and ruby red.

In tune with the bridal colour for 2014, showstopper Alia Bhatt looked every bit a royal bride in a heavily embellished red lehenga with a gold fringed tulle dupatta.

So, those where some of the best moments from India Couture week 2014. We’ll leave you with images from the grand finale by Shree Raj Mahal Jewellers.