India Fashion Week: Greatest Hits, Vol. 1

I still have several articles to write and hundreds of pictures to slog through from last week, but I wanted to highlight a tiny selection of some of my favorite looks from the runway during India Fashion Week. And now, if you'll excuse me for a bit, I think what I really need is a bowl of Kraft macaroni & cheese and a good night's sleep.


I love the Technicolor designs from Manish Arora even more every season. He toned down his usual day-glo hues in favor of a (slightly) more subtle palette for a fantastic, nature-inspired collection. This empire dress -- with its mint green background and bright pink blooms -- was among my favorites, as was the amazingly detailed peacock capelet above.

How great is this sweetly retro style from Ayesha Depala? I'm always such a sucker for a Peter Pan collar:


Varun Bahl is always one of my favorites, both for his clothes and presentation. For his finale, he sent the models down the runway in a muted rainbow of classic dresses:


Ranna Gill did some terrific jersey prints -- very L.A. and very cool.


We continue to be big Anamika Khanna fans around here. She moved away from her signature colorful fabrics this time for a light, easy collection with neutral shades and vintage-inspired botany motifs. I loved the unexpected elegance of this piece in particular:


I'm sorry to say this photo doesn't nearly do justice to this beautiful leaf-print dress from the universally lauded collection by Shantanu & Nikhil:


A cool, modern mix from Ashish Soni:


Rajesh Pratap Singh is always a huge highlight for me (and, judging by the crowd shoving to get in, lots of others as well). I would probably travel all the way to India just to see his beautiful European-style collections.



I'm also happy to report that there were no fires or related mishaps, but several buckets of sand were at the ready, just in case.