Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week kicks off in New Delhi

New Delhi, Mar 26 (ANI): After a slight hiccup over the lack of a fire safety permit, the 15th edition of the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week (WLIFW) Autumn-Winter 2010 got off to a flying start here, showcasing the latest collections of India's top fashion designers.

'Kotwara', the collection named after one of Asia's oldest Islamic dynasties, presented by Meera and Muzaffar Ali, saw models take to the catwalk in bright, playful colours and geometric prints.

Using fabrics ranging from silk, chiffon and even feathers, Meera Ali said they were looking to challenge the notion of luxury in the world of high fashion.

"The collection's name is 'Greenhouse' and depicts the times of today. A greenhouse is an artificial space where living things are grown. So the collection is a philosophy based on shapes and what is considered luxurious," said Meera Ali.

"Fur is a luxury according to some but there is no fur in our collection and we are trying to show other materials that can be seen as luxurious," she added.

Designer Tarun Tahiliani steered away from his usual jewel tones and experimented with shades of navy, gray and cream.
Teemed with gold, ruby and fuchsia embellishment, Tahiliani said he wanted to recreate Indian glamour in his latest collection.

"This time we started working with very dull, muted colours as you can see. A very different colour palette and I wanted everything to be very luxurious. I think that this time we've gone back to Indian craft," said Tahiliani.

"Fashion was galloping and racing and everyone was doing everything and it was very westernised. I consciously took it back to a much more modern Indian way," he added.

The WLIFW-AW 2010, hosted by the Fashion Design Council of India, will witness the participation of 130 designers and 75 of them will also be presenting shows,

The fashion extravaganza, featuring 43 shows that will run rill March 28 will also witness the participation of 19 new designers. (ANI)