Theme : Cloud People
Ambience
The Royal Opera House with its old world charm, gilded baroque accents trailing the ceilings was the perfect backdrop for this soul searing outing. Walking into this heritage building was a step back in time when people actually dressed to the nines and lived lives without cutting corners. Considering every Sanjay Garg’ show is about sharing a narrative (his last Lakmé Fashion Week show was held in the venue hotel's parking lot) the grandeur of the Opera House added gravitas to the showcase.
There was a live Opera performance and the musicians injected romance, vim and verve to the Lakmé Fashion Week 2017 grand opening proceedings. The show opened with a live chorus—a panoply of singers all dressed in black. Each seat had a paan kept in a box with Raw Mango initials. The Opera stage had clouds hanging from top thus summing up the core theme of the collection—'Cloud People.'
Highlights
Sanjay Garg has always been a textile focused brand and with this collection, he made a seamless transition into embroidery. The designer wanted to shine the spotlight on his craftspeople too since both the designer as well as the artisans merit the same center stage.
Garg referenced angelic, mythical figures from myriad mythologies, which were the recurring motif throughout the line along with clouds reimagined in different shapes. The designer questioned the very idea of an angelic figure—do they actually descend from the clouds? What do they look like? Since no one has ever seen what an angel looks like, he reinterpreted these figure in his handwriting thus making the sky his moodboard. Garg’s designs spell undiluted purity and bliss that angels represent.
The line in pristine whites, ivory, emerald green and wine tones had intricate details such as supple feathers and scalloped clouds of angels in flight which were made in handcrafted Chikankari on Bengal mul, zardozi and hand-woven brocade. The angelic motifs, floral prints and geometric figures injected divinity and timelessness to this seminal showcase. The fine, tone on tone embroidery done on ultra-fine fabric was the ultimate winner - sublime, refined and executed with precision and exactitude!
The sheen of the punchily jewel timed ensembles—be it his shine-on jackets teamed with saris, minimal maxi dresses and embroidered pants had an unmitigated Sanjay Garg touch. It's clearly meant for a bride, who admires and values the purity of textiles and owns every room she walks into without making any kind of sartorial noise. This collection was a true evolution for the designer, who's toyed with cow and monkey motifs in the past as seen in the older editions of Lakmé Fashion Week.
Beauty
Donald Simrock, Make-up Expert, Lakmé focused on highlighting natural flair while giving the look a rather whimsical edge.
Sanjay's models sported soft, dewy, fresh-faced make-up, which was accented with pink lips. Some of the models also sported distinctive two-toned lips. The hair seemed to be inspired by the Jazz age bringing to mine Josephine Baker's iconic finger waves. Most models styled their side-parted hair back letting the clothes be the real hero. The overall hair and make-up look for the opening show at Lakmé Fashion Week 2017 was minimal and clean.
Lakmé‘s new beauty range is enriched with the magical argan oil which stunningly complemented Garg’s designs, a metaphor for purity and richness with an ethnic, raw feel. Just like argan oil is known to blend with the skin and make it lustrous and flawless, the drapes and minimalist work of Sanjay’s designs became one with the body to exemplify class and poise.
What we loved
The interplay of sheer and texture and head-to-toe metallic looks in jewel-tones.
The models walked sans any accessory or jewellery and completed their looks with patent leather lace-up booties in cobalt blue, which colour blocked the ensembles beautifully.
Spotted in the front row
Kiran Rao, Seema and Jaideep Mehrotra, Mini Mathur, AD and Sabina Singh, Narendra Kumar, Pernia Qureshi and Avantika Malik Khan.
Adding to the grandeur of the venue was the presence of Ms. Simone Tata who played a pivotal role in steering Lakmé in its early years.
All in all the collection was wearable, season-neutral and had a mixed-and-match appeal to it, which is bound to please the Sanjay Garg bride and her entourage of bridesmaids.
Written by Manish D Mishra on Aug 17, 2017