TV anchor, make-up expert, school girls turn showstoppers at AIFW

Amazon India Fashion Week (AIFW) Spring-Summer 2016 might have seen a drop in the number of Bollywood actors walking the ramp as showstoppers but it has given a platform to girls as young as three and to make-up expert Ambika Pillai to walk in the most special piece from the designers' collections.

The first show on the third day of the fashion gala, which started on Wednesday, began on a "melancholic" note. With designer Abhi Singh presenting his 'Melancholy' collection as the models sashayed down the ramp in black.

"The inspiration was from the gothic era. So it started off with dark colours then moved on to grey and then white," Singh told reporters post his show on Friday.

One could see body-hugging silhouettes and breezy ones too. If there were fitted leather pants, there were skirts and long dresses with thigh high slits in linen, silk and net as well making them ideal for summer wear.

Designer Chhaya Mehrotra gave a true spring-summer feel to the audience through her collection 'Bubbly in Paris'. The designer from Banaras put together French influences and handloom work from her hometown.

She made abundant use of peach, pink, blue and green, and Banarasi blue denim for her collection that had French rose and floral scallop motifs on silk cotton and organza.

While the range had gowns, belly baring tops with pants, the showstopper TV anchor Shereen Bhan walked in a white sari with woven scallops.

"She wore the sample piece that became the final one. So, you can see that there was not much finishing on the sari," said Mehrotra.

Designer Poonam Dubey gave a strong message through her collection 'Masakali'. Dedicated to the young, confident and strong willed woman who wants to be set free, it started with six girls including her daughter, aged between three and 14, standing on the stage. Soon, models wearing lehengas, pants, capes and more in khadi took over.

Speaking in Hindi, the designer told reporters: "Khadi, women and Hindi are less talked about in this country. As a designer, I felt that there is a social responsibility."

Hailing PM Narendra Modi's Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao campaign, she said that her show was not to make a "political issue".

"Modi's campaign inspires me, but the collection that I showed was not to make a political issue. I believe in women empowerment," she added while talking about her collection that saw the faded look of Mughal art on garments.

Shalini James, who made her AIFW debut this year, showcased a collage of textiles from across the country.

"The block prints were from south and north India," she said about her "busy collection " that had a lot of detailing.

The designer made cotton look cool and formal. But what caught the attention of many were the sari and skirt combination pieces.

Pillai, donning black ensemble with a long jacket, walked as showstopper for James while Malayali actress Rima Kallingal surprised the designer by gracing the front row.