Anita Dongre closed the opening day of Lakmé Fashion Week – Summer Resort 2018 with her collection ‘Songs of Summer’— inspired from a beautiful summer garden in all its bloom. Capturing its true essence, the collection combined muted tones of blush, sage, powder blue, yellow and pristine white with stunning floral, botanical and bird motifs.
Recreating the magic of the 50s, Anita presented breezy midi skirts, jumpsuits, cool wrap tops, elegant long line jackets, trendy tunics and stylish cropped tops that shared the stage with classic lehengas and draped saris in light-weight handwoven silk, chanderi, mul and cotton in Benares.
Furthering the sustainability story, R | Elan™ GreenGold, an eco-friendly fabric, made from 100 per cent used plastic bottles was also used to fashion a few outfits. Light hand embroidery, zardosi and gota patti details juxtaposed with customised flower patterns bridged the fashion eras of traditional and contemporary together.
Printed bandis and kurtas, layered with trousers were also presented as part of the menswear look. The ensembles were complemented by stunning pieces from Anita Dongre Fine Jewellery, embroidered flat shoes and pretty floral tiaras.
Making their ramp debut as a couple, Shahid Kapoor and Mira Rajput walked the aisles of the beautiful summer garden.
Looking sharp in a white handwoven malkha sherwani with intricate stitch line embroidery and mother of pearl logo buttons, Shahid Kapoor was flanked by his beautiful wife Mira Rajput who wore a statement white handwoven Benaras lehenga with pastel floral motifs, handwoven silk choli and silk organza dupatta with hand embroidered resham and gota patti work.”
Tunes of jazz music by Deveshi Sehgal and her band, set amidst a beautiful garden with candles and artfully decorated flowers such as cabbage roses, baby’s breath and lotus further added to the warm, intimate setting—very reminiscent of a summer wedding.
Speaking about the collection, Anita said, “Songs of Summer is a collection that is very close to my heart. I am really excited to bring back the understated elegance of the 50s in the form of fluid silhouettes, light hand embroidery, and exquisite floral details.
I am also thrilled to add sustainable elements to the collection using R|Elan GreenGold, an eco-friendly fabric that is made from recycled plastic bottles.”
Commenting on the response received to the R|Elan collection by Anita Dongre – Mr Hemant Sharma, Polyester Sector Head, RIL said “It’s a remarkable work of design and art presented by Anita Dongre that elegantly brought out the high performance and aesthetic features of R | Elan™ FreeFlow and R | Elan™ GreenGold. We are overwhelmed by the enormous initial response that R | Elan™ has received at LFW”.