The month of March heralds the coming of summer. It is also the time to shake things up on the wardrobe front; getting rid of winterwear and filling the shelves with light pieces to beat the summer heat. At Lakmé Fashion Week (LFW), some amazing designers showcased their pieces for the Summer/Resort 2012 season. Fashion stalwarts like Narendra Kumar and Rohit Bal shared the week with relatively new faces like Gaurang Shah and Mona Shroff from the Talent Box section of designers to produce varied and different looks for the fashion-forward to emulate in the coming months. Here are some choices to tickle your fashion fancy.

Pick a pattern

Those who love the look of tribal prints can rejoice as it emerged as one of the strongest trends at Lakmé Fashion Week this season. Bold patterns in dark colours as well as starkly geometric lines were seen making confident strides down the runway. Sidharta Aryan's collection called ‘Cosmogene' blended digital tribal prints with heavily structured designs to create a futuristic look. Tie-dying was also a favourite among the designers, who created looks using the bandhani style on free-flowing fabric like chiffon. Newcomer Megha Garg's collection titled ‘Mystical Aura' celebrated the feminine form with light dresses and gowns made pretty with the ombré effect, which is dying clothes to produce gradation of colour, in red and green.

Boho beauty

The bohemian style of dressing has always been a favourite of free spirits the world over, but this time, it has made its way onto Indian ramps and seems set to stay a while. Designers chose to express themselves using materials like chiffon, georgette and varieties of silk which help create flow and movement. Isabelle Mittal's creations, long flowing gowns in cherry red and candy pink, were inspired by the ancient Greek style of dressing, made contemporary by juxtaposing the loose flow with metal embellishments. Siddartha Tytler's collection named ‘My Journey', which is so apt for the bohemian way of life, brought out deconstructed dresses and kaftans, beautiful printed lace pieces and jumpsuits in satin. The colourful creations were made with printed silk, satin and linen.

Elements of fun

This Summer/Resort edition of LFW emphasised the idea that fashion can be fun too! First up were the young and vibrant designers Little Shilpa and Nitin Bal Chauhan who created collections inspired by Mickey and Minnie Mouse for Disney Couture. This collection was much-awaited as it was Disney's debut at Lakmé Fashion Week, with the audience waiting to see how iconic Disney characters would be reinterpreted in clothing for adults. Little Shilpa used cut outs of Mickey's face on dresses and shoulder pads, along with one fantastic creation that had many giant ears in the red silk body of the gown. Nitin Bal Chauhan made denim his focus fabric embellished with bows, polka dot and Mickey ears. His casual pieces included tee shirts printed with Mickey and Minnie images, white dresses with multiple buttons and jumpsuits. The fun and casual element to fashion continued with Priyadarshini Rao's label Mineral. Rao opted for a rustic yet urban look with single elements stylishly thrown together, in summery yellow, orange and neon green. A bubble smock over a bright green voile skirt, crushed textiles paired with delicate lace and liberal use of cotton and linen with floral and funky prints formed the core of the collection, giving the wearer full freedom to mix and match the pieces.

An Indian summer

India in all its states and beauty was the focus of many collections at this event. Deepika Govind drew heavily from the checks and prints of textiles from Karnataka, Salem and Kanchivaram for her tunics and dresses in various shades of blue, with the saris draped in Coorgi style. It was all about blending traditional patterns with modern silhouettes for this designer. Kurtas, pyjamas, ghagras and saris in Khadi, cotton muslin, crushed material and silk were the highlight of Soumitra Mondal's collection inspired by the crafts of Bengal and Paromita Banerjee's handloom material-focused designerwear. Indian styles mixed freely with western waistcoats and dresses to create a melange of textures and drapes. But for the opulent Indian style that we all know and love, it had to be Vikram Phadnis' line of bridal wear. Raja coats, sequined blouses, saris with gold borders and voluminous anarkalis dazzled spectators at the show in their embellished brilliance, with a few sherwanis for men.

So whether you are running around town or lounging by the poolside this summer, you can stay stylish with designer elements from the Lakmé Fashion Week Summer/Resort 2012 edition.

archana.a@thehindu.co.in

Published on March 13, 2012