Young and Edgy

Earlier this year, when Kolkata-based designer Kallol Datta and Delhi-based designer duo Pankaj and Nidhi Ahuja were announced as the grand finale designers for the Winter/Festive 2012 edition of Lakme Fashion Week (LFW), the news evoked a mixed response. Some said that they were too young to take on a finale, while others lauded the move to encourage younger designers for the big show. But on Tuesday evening, even as the finale played itself out to a select audience, it was clear that both the labels had proven the doubting Thomases wrong.

The venue for the show — the Ballroom at Grand Hyatt in Mumbai — had minimalist set with metal doors that revealed mirrors on the other side and opened up to the ramp. After a 10-minute showcase of the cosmetics giant's latest monochrome line, Datta took the day and night story forward with his collection. Colour blocking with black and white was one of the key looks in his segment, which saw motifs as varied as frowning faces, snails and safety pins. The silhouettes were impressive too, ranging from voluminous skirts and jackets with slashed sleeves to gowns with tassels, and blouses with choirboy collars and tie-ups at the back. Especially eye-catching was the only sari that Datta sent down the ramp — it had black and white snail prints, paired with a loose-fitting blouse. However, it was Kareena Kapoor's show-stopper outfit — a black and white snail print hoodie tunic over a black body suit, which served as a fitting climax to his collection.

The second part of the finale had designer couple Pankaj and Nidhi Ahuja showing the crowd once again why they are the masters of texture — as they played with quilting, fine cord, lattice and wool crewel work (created from diverse fabrics such as silk, leather, wool). Black and white dominated this line too, albeit with a dash of cobalt green and some fuschia red. However, asymmetry was the toast of their collection — be it in jackets or skirts. This apart, their kimono-style gowns, shawl-wrap tops and basket-weave waistcoats meant that the duo's affair with geometrics and origami is still going strong. In fact, their last pieces even had 3D giant flowers on black sheath and all the outfits had been worn over black body suits for added visual effect.

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