February 09, 2017

Designed to Dazzle

Stylefile 2017, a heady cocktail of designers and fashion conscious buyers, is back with its spring-summer 2017 collection – this time much bigger. After successful stints at the Old Bungalow in Alipore, the annual fashion and art do is shifting to the rooftop at Quest Mall (Timings: 3pm-11pm).

The exhibition promises to be a shoppers’ paradise, with some of India’s most renowned designers and artists from Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Kolkata on board. Seventeen designers, four accessory designers, 13 artists and sculptors – we are smitten by the joie de vivre and the vibrancy of their visual stories. Conceived in 2002, Stylefile, the brainchild of Sumedha Saraogi and Preeti Goenka, has been a success from the very first season. Says Saraogi: “The night bazaar format has done very well and we want to continue with that flavour.”

Stylefile art gallery too is brimming with artworks and sculptures of renowned artists like Anup Mondal, Avantika Saraogi, Aradhana Dalmia, Ceramics by Shweta Mansinghka, Debasish Dutta, Deepjyoti Kalita, Gopinath S, G R Iranna, Jagadish Dhyan Shreyas, Jayanta Roy, Prafull Singh, Prajjwal Choudhury and Priti Kahar. Fashion designers include the likes of Sunita Shankar, Abha Dalmia, Divya Gupta, Debyani, Arjan Singh Dugal, Nidhi Tholia, Madhu Jain, Kiran Chaudhry, Anjali Swarup, Namrata Joshipura and Nachiket Barve, to name a few. For accessory lovers, there’s fashion jewellery from Isharya and designer clutches from Kokomo bags.

 

Fashion

As fashion gets more wearable, here’s taking a look at the haute look of the season by some of the top designers participating at the show. The watchword: value-for-money.

 

SHANTANU GOENKA

What to expect: Stylefile regular Shantanu Goenka will present a capsule collection for little girls, aged between 2 – 8 years old. Expect a line of jumpsuits, capes, pretty dresses and shrugs. The other must-buys include richly embroidered Cashmere and printed-net saris.

Shop the look: The designer recommends less-fussy occasion wear like layered chiffon dresses and cape-styled gowns.

 

NAMRATA JOSHIPURA

What to expect: Known for her stylish eveningwear, her girlie-glam line consists of fun and flirty tunics, cape tops, cowled jumpsuits, swing dresses, dhoti pants and cape gowns. Light silks, georgette and jersey are her fabrics of choice.

Shop the look: For a super-trendy look Joshipura recommends a printed crop top paired with a striped skirt pant. For a playful look, opt for a swing dress with flared sleeves.

 

PRATIMA PANDEY

What to expect: The NIFT alumnus has delicate sheer dresses and kurtas in Chanderi. Look for her experimentation with embroidery – from ari to Parsi, to French knots and dabka.

Shop the look: Keep it simple with just a simple A-line dress, teamed with a crushed skirt or a palazzo.

 

NACHIKET BARVE

What to expect: Barve’s love affair with florals and blooms continues this season too. Layered separates is what he will show, which includes dresses, skirts and jackets.

Shop the look: Barve wins hands down when it comes to the red-carpet and wedding ceremony staples. His eclectic line for the fashion do will have loads of long silk dresses, bejewelled neckline tops that can be paired with lehengas. Of course, fashion buyers can also look forward to his line of saris.

 

PANKAJ & NIDHI

What to expect: The powerhouse couple pushes the envelope when it comes to style and elegance, by effortlessly marrying western and Indian sensibilities. Says Pankaj, “The city loves to experiment when it comes to colours and cuts.” Expect a mishmash of prints and textures with details like flares, ruffles and asymmetrical cuts.

Shop the look: Boxy silhouettes like square tops teamed with high-waisted pants, long and short capes and cocktail dresses, are some of the ensembles that they recommend.

 

ARCHANA RAO

What to expect: Pearl detailing and tone-on-tone surface embroidery in soft hues like nude tones of skin, blush pink and lavender, feature in her spring-summer line. Her easy-to-wear festive line has skirts, crop tops, and structured jackets.

Shop the look: Nothing’s quite as fun as mixing things up a little and the Hyderabad-based designer tells you how. Readymade saris with overcoats can up the glam quotient. Add fun to your outfit by styling a printed chiffon sari, teamed with a structured blazer. Accessorise with a bow belt for a glamorous cocktail party.

 

SIMAR DUGAL

What to expect: From the lightweight kalamkaris to hand-block prints of Rajasthan, to even digital prints, Simar Dugal’s ready-to-wear line has anarkalis, and shararas.

Shop the look: For a summer wedding, she recommends a breezy kalamkari salwar kurta with thread embroidery.

 

SONAL VARMA

What to expect: The modern-day traveller is her inspiration. Her line comprises of wide-legged trousers, maxi dresses and oversized jackets. Her palette is mostly pastels highlighted with bold red, in fabrics like super-fine cotton and linen.

Shop the look: Take your pick from easy dresses and shirt-style maxis.

 

Jewellery

 

VASUNDHARA MANTRI

She has loads of floral-inspired statement pieces like layered neckpieces and cuffs. For a funky look, her origami-inspired line consists of quirky earrings and neckpieces, that are must-buys.

 

ISHARYA

The label has an assortment of intricate cuffs, cocktail rings and chandelier earrings.

 

Accessories

 

DESKSCAPES BY NATTY

A curated ecommerce site, Natty is founded by Natisha Saraogi comprising of quirky stationery and home decor. She presents a capsule collection of funky desk and travel accessories.

 

Art

Not just fashion, there is plenty of art too, which you can look forward to. Here’s what you can consider buying from the Stylefile art-gallery:

 

GOPINATH S

This Bengaluru-based artist’s sculpture is inspired by the lotus flower, which is symbolic of the celebration of life.

 

G.R IRANNA

This Delhi-based artist likes to break away from conformity. His work transcends the boundaries of time and space.

 

ANUP MONDAL

The basic concept of his sculpture is suffering of human beings and crisis of our identity.

 

AVANTIKA SARAOGI

A graduate from Scripps College in California, USA, she is inspired by fashion and commercial photography. Her photography is thus the culmination of her passions and experiences.