Another year, another season full of glam, shine & extravagance! Indian Couture Week was back with a bang and what a treat for the senses it turned out to be! 2023 has been an excellent year for Indian couturiers on the global stage, and their intricate showings at ICW 2023 only build on this success.
The 16th edition of Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI) organized Indian Couture Week 2023 featured the crème de la crème of Indian fashion’s extensive pool of talent. Giving us a glimpse of their newest haute couture collections, renowned couturiers from across the country bedazzled the capital with their intricately crafted creations.
With an event that has always had the who’s who in attendance to watch art unfurl. And what better artists than India’s very premier crop of designers that included Gaurav Gupta, Anamika Khanna, Rahul Mishra, Ritu Kumar, Varun Bahl, Dolly J, Tarun Tahiliani and more.
Here is a recap of the best moments that transpired at FDCI Hyundai India Couture Week 2023 in association with Reliance Brands at the Taj Palace Hotel.
From Falguni Shane Peacock’s ‘Renaissance Reverie’ show that mystified bold & ballet to Gaurav Gupta’s radiant ‘Hiranyagarbha’, we were awed by the star power and allure of the creations on display. With thigh slits, bustier bralettes & mermaid cut silhouettes becoming a constant across the runway, we’re excited to what’s in store for us for the upcoming Bridal season!
Falguni Shane Peacock’s Renaissance Reverie
The first light is always the one that stays in the mind. The daybreak sets the tone for the day, and that is precisely how Falguni Shane Peacock’s opening act for the ICW 2023 could be described best. Opening with a quintet of ballet performances, established the mood for the showcase. With the duo’s love for travelling and art, the collection is an homage to the renaissance era and blends the cultural richness of India and its inimitable technical and craftmanship abilities. The splendid scenography with elephant sculptures and a water feature at the center of the stage, admired the same.
The collection featured heavy embellishments & embroideries, moving away from the brand staple of fringes & feathers. Displaying a varied range of styles, which included micro bustiers, long veiled lehengas & the fish cut silhouette were all present. The color palette included hues of pink, muted blues, and variants of white & ivory.
Showstopper Kiara Advani closed the show on a high, clad in a barbiecore inspired hot pink thigh slit skirt with a plunging neckline top. A perfect closing to the show & an excellent start for the showcase that started off from Day 1.
Ritu Kumar’s The OG
A return to the ICW stage after a decade long absence, Ritu Kumar was a gleaming presence. A comeback would not be the correct word, as Indian fashion world’s semi centenarian has always been an anchor for the Indian design community.
The OG Indian designer showcased her ‘The OG’ collection at ICW. Furthermore, Calling it a collection that is ‘close to her heart’, and we agree. Standing true to herself, the collection was a fusion of her traditional roots and yet innovating the medium. Moreover, Dresses, jackets, capes, and anarkalis showcased a new feminine aesthetic, while adhering to heritaged textiles and subtly incorporating classical elements onto newer silhouttes.
The show concluded with Aditi Rao Hydari in a mesmerizing beige lehenga paired with a ghazal jacket. What topped it off was the grand matriarch of Indian fashion taking the stage to take a deserving bow in front of the admiring audience.
Varun Bahl’s Inner Bloom
Much like Falguni Shane Peacock’s ballet opener, Varun Bahl opted for a similar opening. However, the flora maestro had a dramatic showcase in mind. As the ballerina prances through a floral extravaganza of a runway, the mood is set for a showcase of botanical enchantment. Aptly named ‘In Bloom’, Varun Bahl’s new collection felt like a montage of silhouettes that were meant to be dramatic & dreamy.
3D flowers based on artisinal embroideries, the voluminous & asymmetrical cuts & seamless patchwork were a prominent part of the showcase that challenged how traditional silhouettes are worked upon.
Bhumi Pednekar was the showstopper for the showcase, featuring in a golden outfit. With an infinity designed golden bralette, which was decked with embroidery and floral detailing. Pairing with a fish tail skirt that included 3D floral embroidery and replete with gold detailing, with a thigh-high slit that accompanied the body con fit.
Gaurav Gupta’s Hiranyagarbha
As beautiful as the name is, the ace couturier had a showcase that felt fitting to the tag. Additionaly, building on his showcasing at the Paris Haute Couture Week last month, Gupta has been inspired by the cosmos that exist in Vedic Philosophy. And all these elements emerge from the primal Hiranyagarbha – or golden womb.
The collection is a journey from birth to attainment of harmony with the cosmos, enticing us to embrace the stark light within. This initial light is seen through the collection’s shimmering & pure white pieces, iridescent pearl embellishments.
Based on bold solid hues, the showcase included Gaurav Gupta’s signature staples. Showstopper Jahnvi walked with confidence in an inspiring midnight blue lehenga. The vibrancy of the colours elevated with glitter that shimmered under the light. Her outfit featured bralette-style blue top with thin stripes and a plunging neckline. Paired with it was a free-flowing skirt with intricate sequin work all over. The matching cape added to the allure of her outfit.
Kunal Rawal’s Dhoop Chao
Kunal Rawal had to be the disruptor at the FDCI Hyundai Indian Couture Week 2023 in association with Reliance brands. With background music that supported his showcasing was purely Punjabi vibes, his collection was building on the same vein. Out with the old, in with the new.
Models that walked for Kunal Rawal were seen in an unusual but equally charming outfit with structured jackets paired with dhotis. Contemporary drapes, sharara sets with blazers and exquisite sherwanis were all a part of Rawal’s Dhoop Chao collection.
Ranbir Kapoor surprised himself to a rather loud crowd as a showstopper after a long while, donning himself on the stage as if he was never away. His outfit was everything that Kunal Rawal’s collection encompassed at the very core. A sequined jacket being paired with a fusion piece that blended pants and veshti made a strong case for the designer’s approach.
Rohit Gandhi + Rahul Khanna’s Equinox
Like fundamentals to any good outfit, the Delhi based designer duo Rohit Gandhi & Rahul Khanna insisted on their ‘equinox’ collection to be focused on balance, time, and versatility. The duo translated just that, onto the ICW runway.
The ‘equinox’ stayed true to its word. With the designer duo working upon silhouettes that are sleeker and based on gossamer fabrics. With embellishments that are bound to create a painting of light and shadow, the showcase was a fest of shimmering & hooded gowns, power suit worthy trousers & jackets.
Basking in colors of equinox with shades of black, grey & blues covering the palate, the runway was not short of tried & tested Gandhi & Khanna silhouettes. However, their ability to master a craft & yet find a footing is often art retelling itself. Duo of Bollywood stars Ishan Khatter & Sobhita Dhulipala became showstoppers. Ishan walked in an all-black outfit with embellished velvet jacket, trousers and a necktie; Dhulipala clad in a bead embellished silver bralette-and-slit skirt with a celebratory sash-like dupatta to accompany.
Rimzim Dadu‘s Hydrochromic
A debut that has cemented a space for the Noida-based designer on the runway, which she always deserved, some would say. Keeping the inspiration rooted to her childhood in Nainital, Dadu’s collection is inspired from the fluidity of water. Conceiving an invite for the showcase on a blank paper, that would show ink only when you poured water on a side. The title ‘hydrochromic’ exists for a reason.
Conventional Indian weaving was a visible theme in the collection. Ikat-like motifs becoming evident on the womenswear collection, accompanied by embroideries & embellishments that worked upon conventional and contemporary techniques. Gold becoming a common theme across the showcase. Cocktail lehengas, skirts featuring intricate, hand-cut florals and gowns dipped in deep, jewel tones completed the collection.
Ananya Pandey as the showstopper was shining through, dressed in a gold cocktail outfit made from Dadu’s very own metallic cord material. The leaf pattern stands out on, yet another thigh slit skirt paired with a chic bustier in gold.
Anamika Khanna
Amidst the foliage of forest moss spread out on the runway at the Durbar Hall at Taj Palace, models walked out to the couturier’s unnamed collection. The showcase presented pieces that are reminiscent of Anamika Khanna’s signature elements. But she’s done it yet again in a manner that innovates upon what has already worked before.
Taking her draped mastery and adding them a structure through jackets for both Men as well as Women. A meticulousness that is rather unmatched, the designer incorporated embroidery, applique and embellishments that took the working elements into the collection. Going by her own playbook, she blends modernity with culture in an effortless manner.
Athiya Shetty became the closing act for the show, decked in a egg-shell white floor-length gown with 3D appliqué work, thread work, and florals. Featuring a thigh-high slit and a draped bottom.
Dolly J’s Selene
A celestial spectacle, and an ethereal showcase. The veteran designer had constructed magic on the runway. From the beautiful scenography to the pearl & sequin charmed showcase, there wasn’t a lack of shine that was enough to lit up the Shah Jehan Hall at Taj Palace on Monday.
A sensual display of femininity, Dolly J’s ‘Selene’ was a love letter for the Moon. Pearl & sequin embellished gowns that sparkled as models made their strides on the runway, with silhouettes that transposed between traditional and western, but retaining their oft shiny stature. Fabrics included tulle and metallic tissues, while sequins were available in shades of silver, copper, and gunmetal. With flower designs that offered a botanical element to the outfits.
Visualising for a Selene goddess, Dolly J chose Disha Patani as her showstopper. In a silver thigh-slit mermaid silhouette skirt, pairing it with a bralette top with a plunging neckline, thin stripes and sequins that existed all over the skirt.
Shantnu & Nikhil’s Etheria
They’ve always aced the east meets west battle without a hint of doubt. Creating a blend of style that takes the best of both worlds to create a design language that carves a niche for just them. A glammed-out niche at the ICW.
Keeping together their signature drapes & military inspired silhouettes, they held down to their strengths. Their collection ‘Etheria’ might have been based in the ‘Gatsby era’ with designs inspired from their designer duo’s travel pursuits to Sicily. With high waisted pants and cocktail dresses & ball gowns that displayed this claimed glamour.
With showstoppers Aditya Roy Kapoor & Sara Ali Khan closing the show dressed in pastel pink, the style quotient never really took a drop for the night. For Sara, A bustier bralette was teamed with a traditional skirt was swaddled with embroidery to the T and an attached cape train, a mainstay for the showstoppers, was ornamented with pearls & sparkly bits.
Aditya, meanwhile, walked in an ivory sherwani featuring a pleated drape that emanated from the pocket. Tone-on-tone embroidery stood out with flared ivory trousers.
The glam event included more designers that added onto the charm of our couturiers and build upon the artisanship that is bestowed naturally to our country! Aza Fashions celebrates & commends this artistry to the highest degree!
Image credits: FDCIOfficial Instagram
