The India Fashion Week finally gets hosted in Dubai. The much anticipated Fashion show was making headlines for a grand hosting in Dubai. Well, it might not be the best you ever wanted to see but here is the best of the event for India Fashion Week in Dubai.
Dubai debut
Unlike bigger and bolder fashion weeks around the world, India Fashion Week in Dubai (IFW) started out small – as a two-day event that was held on Thursday and Friday. The event was also a closed-door affair, where seats were not on general sale and select fans of the 20-plus designers presenting were given opportunities to win tickets through participating radio stations and local newspapers. The VIP list of those officially invited to attend the shows, which took place in the Godolphin Ballroom of Jumeirah Emirates Towers in Dubai, consisted largely of UAE socialites and friends of the designers.
While the turnout was decent inside the show arenas, a two-hour delay on day one made for an uncomfortable wait, while the scene was a tad frenzied back of house. The exhibition space in the lobby of the ballroom wasn’t as bustling as expected but still attracted a stylish crowd of under-40s who tried on reasonably priced costume jewellery, Indian separates and embroidered pumps.
Best newcomers
A welcome inclusion to Indian Fashion Week were fashion students from FAD International academy, one of India’s leading arts and design schools, who put on two shows. Thirty students flew in to present 70 of their creations.
On day one, the standout show was Steam Punk autumn/winter 2015, with its avant-garde, industrialised pieces and heavy ornamentation, inspired by the steampunk sub genre.
On day two, India to the World 2015 displayed the most creativity, presenting a global aesthetic compared with more traditional Indian silhouettes. Hand-dyed fabrics, innovative digital prints and traditional embroidery were the hallmarks of the collection. Eve Jaso, a radio presenter at Dubai’s Channel 4’s 104.8, did a turn in some pieces.
Rising star
A young talent worth watching in the coming years is Shweta Wahi. The 23-year old showed her collection for the first time at IFW in Dubai but is no stranger to the subcontinent’s fashion circuit, having taken part in nearly 30 fashion events to date.
In Dubai, Wahi sent barefoot models down the catwalk in a riot of colours, her collection consisting of flowing jalabiyas, westernised separates and flowing abayas with a desi twist. The range was a fusion of Indian and Arabic fashion and clean lines were the order of the day.
Room for improvement
One of the fashion finales was staged by the husband-and-wife team Falguni and Shane Peacock. As expected, they delivered romantic, ultra-feminine evening gowns, sari-inspired skirts and cropped tops and layers of chiffon in jewel tones. Wearable, regal and blinged to the nines, the show was a fitting ending to the UAE event.
While IFW showed great promise, the organisation needs tweaking. The event was billed as a feast for the eyes and while many designers came up with the goods, the delays and reshuffling of shows, from day one to day two, ruffled fashionable feathers.
Dubai is famous for hosting many such fashion shows in past. The glory and the charm of the India Fashion Week in Dubai was however beyond the imagination.
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