For a fashion event known for its love of spectacle, Lakme Fashion Week did not disappoint with its opening act. Monisha Jaising’s resort show took place on the deck of a cruise ship, Mumbai’s depressingly gray skyline forming the backdrop to a collection peppered with vivid jewel tones and dramatic silhouettes. Monisha should thank the weather gods, it could not have been a more poetic contrast if she had conjured it up herself.
Judging by the collection, the designer’s interpretation of the word ‘resort’ was limited to destination weddings. Models marched down the deck in heavily sequinned gowns with equally weighty trains, Chikan saris with embellished pallus and satin cocktail dresses with structured shoulders and asymetrical hemlines. Not a wardrobe designed for a blushing bride or her bashful bridesmaids, this was oomph turned up to 100 watts. The bling will sell, no doubt, even though some of Monisha’s strongest pieces were her subtlest ones.
Like a dusty rose column gown with the kind of draped corset bust favored by Vivienne Westwood. Simple. Structured. Sophisticated.
If only there had been more to marvel at.
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