India fashion week fuses Victoriana with 1960s chic

By Krittivas Mukherjee

MUMBAI (Reuters Life!) - Bold 1960s prints updated Victorian-era black velvet as India's top fashion event opened on Tuesday with a collection of banded waists, pleated skirts and sensual tops.

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More than 40 designers are showing their Autumn/Winter 2007 collections at the Lakme Fashion Week in Mumbai in the hope of wooing some 20 international buyers, mostly with signature Indian fabrics like raw and handwoven silks.

Setting the tone for the five-day event, designer Vikram Phadnis draped his models in clothes that fused 1960s fashion and Victorian sensibilities, mixing shimmering black velvet with "ethnic" motifs.

Phadnis said his women's collection -- using banded waists, pleated skirts with medium hem lengths and oversized sleeves in candy hues -- was for "everyone from a beauty queen to a girl next door".

Indian fashion designers have often been criticized for not being trendsetters and instead copying Western motifs to tap into a wave of demand for high-end Western outfits with an Asian edge.

But designer duo Shyamlal and Bhumika, who presented the second show, are among a growing tribe of mature designers who focus on bringing together different elements of traditional India in an effort to appeal to international buyers.

Fusing India's textile heritage with modern styling, the two said they were trying to strike a balance between "romanticism and futurism".

"Metallics meets romance," announced the designers, summing up their collection, which used bold, rich colors and traditional Indian detailing.