Fashion junkies get their high around this time every year – just before it gets too hot to handle, the experts set the trends at Wills India Fashion Week Autumn/Festive in Delhi. As designers showcase their creations and Bollywood stars and fashion enthusiasts come out to support their favourites, Delhi gets an instant makeover. Here’s a look at how the country’s first fashion week of year went down.

The opening act for Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week 2013 was a young upstart who recently took over as creative director for a 30-year-old fashion house - Masaba for Satya Paul's collection named “Every Neon Counts” started off the week with a bang. While many were curious how the young designer’s quirky talent would work with a classic brand, she managed to hold her own while making the brand more relevant to a younger audience. Her trademarks this season were a trio of prints - the lipstick, the ink-splatter and the phone booth. Splashed over everything from sarees and cropped tops to A-line dresses and her new line of trunks, the prints were completed by a palette of neon hues, along with classic blacks and greys. And if you start to see sarees with suspenders gracing red carpets over Bollywood soon, you can hold her solely responsible!

The king of couture, Tarun Tahiliani’s collection for Autumn/Winter – titled the Kumbhback Collection – was inspired by the Kumbh Mela. With his trademark clean silhouettes, flowing drapes, and colours that stem from his visit to the famous religious gathering. Deep sunset colours, a variety of fabrics and plenty of layering made for a collection that stayed true to its inspiration.

Veteran designer Anju Modi managed to have everyone standing at attention with her military-chic reinterpretation of ethnic wear as she sent down models wearing sarees teamed with trench coats, peaked military caps, epaulettes and more. While khadi was predominantly used, sombre colours like beiges and olive green were interspersed with reds and ochres, creating a collection that definitely looked battle ready.

There’s something to be said for sticking to your strength, but Bollywood favourite Manish Malhotra seemed to be playing it way too safe as he sent down another range that seemed red-carpet ready, waiting to be donned by the next movie star. As good as it looked, it was simply everything you’d expect from a Manish Malhotra show and not much more.

Saving the best for last was Manish Arora’s show, in collaboration with jewellery brand Amrapali. Sonam Kapoor in the front row wearing a creation by the designer himself seemed to steal the spotlight, till it went back to the ramp. Models walked down in funky creations that were inspired by the designer’s visit to the Burning Man festival in Nevada, fused with some classic Rajasthani elements. The collection was a repeat of what he showcased at Paris Fashion Week but managed to wow the crowd with his prints and embellishments, all complemented by ethnic-yet-modern jewellery.

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