Inter ‘Pret’ ing High Street Fashion with Anita Dongre

When we talk about fashion, we usually think ‘couture’. With brands like AND, Global Desi, AD Man, IInterPret and Timeless, Anita Dongre, has redefined High Street Fashion in India. One of India’s trendiest designers, Anita has rightly captured the fashion sentiment of the 21^st century generation.  In conversation with the Whistling Woods - Neeta Lulla School of Fashion, she shared what it takes to be a designer for couture versus pret.

Q. What in your opinion are the fundamental challenges in designing Haute Couture versus Pret-e-Porte?

Honestly, both require an equal amount of skill, creativity and design aesthetic. The only possible difference would be the time required to create a bespoke ensemble compared to pret.

Q. How has high street fashion in India evolved in the last decade?

In India, high street fashion has grown by leaps and bounds. With innumerable brands in the market, the competition is healthy and it drives each brand or designer to cater effectively to the changing style sensibilities of consumers. To me, it’s more high fashion than high street, since the styles, cut, colors are in sync with the trend and new styles hit the shelves more frequently than a decade ago. 

Q. What should an aspiring designer look for while creating clothes targeted to high street fashion?

Wear-ability, versatility and affordability are the keys to a high fashion label. With so many choices available to a consumer today, your designs should offer that “extra” bit; the Indian woman today seeks versatility in her ensembles and that too at guilt-free prices. Combine great styles, comfortable silhouettes and functionality- and you got yourself a winner! 

Q. Do you think a professional education is important to become a fashion designer? Why?

An in-depth professional course always helps hone your creative skills. The projects and assignments you are given help you prepare better for a career in fashion design. If you have the talent and the right attitude then there’s no stopping you when it comes to professional opportunities. So yes, an education is always helpful. 

Q. A piece of advice for young fashion enthusiasts and aspiring designers.

There is no substitute to hard work and commitment. You must have passion and dedication for this craft and a ‘never-say-die’ approach. Let your imagination run limitless and stay abreast of global trends and styles and imbibe as much as you can from the seniors in the industry.

STUDENT’s SPOTLIGHT: Designing for the STAGE

We at the Whistling Woods Neeta Lulla School of Fashion, pride in providing hands-on exposure to our designing students. On December 6, the Acting Department at Whistling Woods staged a play “Kauwa Chala Hans Ki Chaal’, for which our fashion students designed the entire costumes.

Cast of 'Kauwa Chala Hans Ki Chaal', Pelicula auditorium, Whistling Woods

The play, an adaptation of the 'The Bourgeois Gentleman', was guided and directed by Feroz Zahid Khan, faculty of Acting Department at the institution.

The costumes were made vibrant and colorful, to match the subtle backdrop of the stage. The style was contemporary with a vintage touch, with balloon sleeved shirts and boots just to add a flavor of the original play.

The budding designers and stylists of our fashion school 

had a gala time dressing up the cast. Rashmi Thakur, one of our fashion pupil, was all gaga about the experience.Bottom of Form

“The styling experience was just awesome. We got to learn that styling for play is different that styling models on the ramp. 

                                                  While short-listing the garments for each character we had to 

keep in mind that it should be comfortable as well, since the actors have to stay on stage for an hour and it could get tiring. 

Besides all this, we also needed to focus on the color co-ordination to ensure it matched the theme of the sets and all characters were in sync. I definitely enjoyed styling the actors and look forward to being involved in more such plays in future” 

When Fashion gets ‘FOSSIL’-ized

When a designer is a nature lover and has affinity towards flora and fauna, it reflects in his/her designs. Nachiket Barve is one such young designer who loves the wildlife and incorporates the same in his work whether it is through designs, patterns, fabrics, embellishments or other works. 

His Spring/Summer 2014 Collection, 'FOSSIL' is inspired by prehistoric Gingko trees, extinct dragonflies, spiral mollusks and similar. Fossils of leaves, textures of rocks like granite and marble, are the highlight of this collection.

Design base

Keeping the season in mind, Nachiket indulged in soft, neutral tones like ivories, chalk, oatmeal, sandstone, beige, silver grey, nude, old rose etc, with interplay of light and shade, thus giving the ensemble a tonal feel. 

The fragility and frailness of fossils are artistically interpreted through sheer fabrics like chiffon, crepe, georgette, organza, raw and spun silk (Chanderi and Dupion) and cotton, making the collection perfect for Indian summer!

Techniques

Through applique work, intricate bead-work,fine bullion embroidery, gossamer like thread-work, Fossil brings out the exoticism of prehistoric wildlife. The garments in this collection use stitches that create perforations on the fabric, making it light and airy for the warm weather.

Silhouettes

FOSSIL silhouettes are very contemporary with crop tops, long, flowing dresses, cropped pants, palazzos etc and are layered , with detailing like tassels, translucence, sleeve inserts, custom-made shoes of the same fabric  and lot of focus on skirts.Nachiket designed the ensembles as separate pieces so they can be independently used or mixed and matched to give an individualistic look!

So let’s get FOSSIL-ized next Summer! 

STUDENT’s SPOTLIGHT: Blender’s Pride Fashion Tour 2013

We at Whistling Woods Neeta LullaSchool of Fashion ensure our student’s get ample hands-on experience with the eminent names of the fashion industry.

The Blender’s Pride Fashion Tour 2013, was an event to remember, with the who’s who of the fashion industry and ace designers like Gavin Miguel, Suneet Verma, Vikram Phadnis, JJ Vallaya and Neeta Lulla herself, showcasing their exclusive collection for the show. 

Gaviin Miguel opened the show with his collection of long, flowing cocktail dresses, split into three sequences, followed by Suneet Verma with his exquisite collection of anarkalis and shararas, inspired by the vintage royalty.

Our students were privileged to be a part of the glitz, glamour and grandeur by assisting the designers backstage and interview some of the designers as well. 

Some fascinating experience it sure was for the budding designers! 

Bharti, a fashion student found the 2^nd and 3^rd sequence of Gavin pretty ‘challenging’ because she thought the dresses were ‘complicated’! 

The second day of the 2 day event saw leading designers like Vikram Phadnis , Neeta Lulla and JJ Valaya.

Vikram's collection was an amalgamation of stylish jalabias, lehengas, kalidars with capes and kotis, patialas with tight fitted kurtis in blacks, ivories and cream colors.

Our very own Neeta Lulla flaunted the ramp with asymmetric cuts, cylindrical shapes and use of drapes and embellishment. Inspired from the look of 20s and 30s with muted colors, Neeta’s collection was a take away from The Great Gatsby.

JJ Valya presented his 'Maharaja of Madrid’ collection, a medley of Spanish and Indian influences. He signed off his show with actor Arjun Kapoor flaunting his designs.

Though a little challenging and fast paced, the excitement our students experienced and the exposure they received stayed beyond compare!

The West side trend:Gujarati Kediya

Fashion trend is not always about clothes, accessories and how they are worn but also a reflection of a certain culture and inspirations derived from the same. Being multicultural as India is, we see the emphasis of a particular ethnicity every fashion season.

The recently developed love affair of the fashion industry with Gujarat has led fashion designers to redefine ethnic clothing. The same gets reflected in current Indian cinema and fashion shows. Patchworks, mirror-works, handloom fabrics, bandhani (tie and dye, layered lehengas, contrast cholis and use of playful, flamboyant color schemes, are the highlights of Gujrati tradition in fashion.

Traditional Kediya

Another significant aspect of Gujrat’s influence on Indian style is the Kediya garment of the Kutch region. The short, cross-over jacket like dress, fitted high waist and then flaring out, is a silhouette and garment suited to the harsh climatic conditions of the Kutch and makes a perfect western silhouette for women’s wear and in some cases for men.

This influence of the Kediya has largely reflected in the costumes of the recent Hindi film ‘Ramleela’ by Sanjay Leela Bhansali. Cinema and fashion always go hand in hand and influence each other. The current fashion season sees a lot of Kediya influence with layered and flaring fabrics and vibrant colors, which were prominent in Deepika Padukone’s exquisite lehengas with heavy ethnic embroideries with subtler bottom layers in contrast colors.

Designer Anju Modi has successfully created an ethnic visual delight to with its robust colors set against blacks, ivories and reds. The effects are exquisite with contrasting colors and fabrics, silver work printing, dabka, zari embroidery and more.

Kediya also has a significant influence on works of other ace designers like Abraham and Thakore, Anupama Dayal, Rahul Misra, Manish Arora. Abraham and Thakore’s Chanel-style kedia skirt-suits, Pia Pauro’s mirron work kaftans are examples to look forward to.

Beyond the borders, ethnic influence of Gujrat is also showcased in the global Spring/Summer 2014 shows with celebrated designers like Valentino, Dries Van Notesn, Emilo Pucci and Diesel.

The ABCs of Indian textiles- Jacquard Fabrics

Fabrics are broadly divided into Handloom (hand woven) and Jacquard (woven in power looms). While hand-loom fabrics are simply woven with clear warps and wefts, Jacquard are characterized by complex woven –in designs, with repetitive patterns all throughout and tapestry effects.

Jacquard Fabrics

Fabrics that are made in Jacquard are broadly –

Brocade- Woven with solid or multicolored silk threads, brocades are richly decorative fabrics and suitable for heavy apparel and outerwear; hence an all time favorite of designers. The addition of a supplementary weft gives the illusion of ‘embossing’ on the cloth.

Damask- Damask fabric is a reversible kind, with mostly geometric, floral, foliage, scrolls and ornamental motifs. It has a subtle sheen that is evident when light reflects on the surface and hence best suited for decor, heavy festive garments and costumes.

Brocatelle- Brocatelle is a high yarn count fabric closely similar to brocade but made in high relief. The puffed appearance of patterns make them best suitable for upholsteries, draperies and general décor.                                        

Dobby- Dobby is a patterned fabric and characterized by unique geometric patterns and extra texture on the cloth. It is often considered a tad fancy and comes is all patterns, colors, weights and textures.

Checks & Stripes- Woven in any natural fabric with blends like polyester, twill etc, checks and stripes are created with alternating warps and wefts in contrast color threads. Stripes range from tiny pinstripes to 6 inch stripes while checks can be of any sizes. These fabrics have the widest usage in garments and light upholstery.

“In modern textile designing, Jacquard fabrics are more widely used and preferred by designers. The higher yarn counts of these fabrics open it up for embellishments, ornamentation and hence more scope for design. For draping, use Jacquard if you want a sturdy fabric and handloom textiles if you want a flowing, delicate drape”, suggests Jaishikha Ratanpal, faculty of draping and costume at the Whistling Woods Neeta Lulla School of Fashion.

The ABCs of Indian textiles- Handloom fabrics

As trend would have it, Indian handloom textiles are sweeping the fashion scenario in the country. No matter what you design and how you do it, the basis of any garment is its fabric. And to choose your preferred fabric, you need to know and recognize them. Fabrics can either be hand woven in looms which we largely call ‘Handloom textiles’ and ’Jacquard textiles’, woven in machines or electronic looms. Handlooms textiles are the most sought after, traditional, made of natural fibers and hence valuable.

Handloom fabrics of India

Cotton- This is widely available and the most versatile fabric. Cotton one of the staple fabrics of India and is available in a variety of weaves, which makes all the difference to a basic cotton cloth. Because of its lightweight and easy adaptability, cotton fabrics are used abundantly by designers.

Silk- Naturally grown and cultivated, silk is one of the most traditional textiles and synonymous to Indian heritage. It is known for its luster, elegance and affluence attached to it. Contrary to the general notion, silk is a tough fabric of high grade and adds richness to any garment.

Linen- Known as the ‘King of Fabrics’, Linen is widely used for apparels, mostly western wear and formal clothing. Made from the fibers of ‘flax plant’, Linen is not only easy to maintain, but equally elegant in look and feel.

Wool- One of the most versatile natural textiles, wool can be woven, knitted, processed, and blended and so on, to craft garments of all sorts. They are soft yet durable, tough yet classy and is used widely in apparel and accessories.

Jute & Hemp- India is the second largest producer of Jute and one of the staple fibers of the country. Though traditionally not used for garments, strong inclination to natural fabrics have led designers to integrate jute, hemp and jute blends in garment construction and give it a contemporary feel.