Lakmé Fashion Week Winter/Festive 2014 opened in great style with the spectacular dual shows presented by DHL featuring the collections of the very talented Masaba Gupta and avant garde designer Amit Aggarwal. Colours of DHL were cleverly brought into the collections by both the designers who revealed their latest line of garments to a very appreciative audience.

Amit Aggarwal’s debut show at Lakmé Fashion Week Winter/Festive 2013 was the most widely praised event last season. His exclusive futuristic gowns and experiments with the 21st century look for the sari and choli drew applause from fashion lovers.

His collection presented by DHL had a marked tribal influence but with his exclusive design elements woven into the creations. Amazing weaving techniques were combined cleverly with striped tattoos. Using inspirations from menswear, Amit transferred them onto couture

ensembles and innovatively married the distinct touches of androgyny with glamorous femininity.

Black was the favoured colour for the seductive line of form fitting formal wear with the shimmer of strips adding to the subtle glitter. But deep tones of red, navy, jade, silver, bronze and rust added to the drama of the collection. Washed matte silk, crepe de chine, jersey and Duchess Satin were softened with tulle to give a feminine edge to the line.

The garments revolved around a dark romantic theme as the silhouettes clung to the curves of the models. Hints of masculine lapels appeared on the rust black moulded gowns.

Opening the show with a long sleeved plunge neck black gown, the designer followed it with a variety of jackets with fish tails, moulded and pleated sari gowns and an emphasis on draped wide balloon sleeves for the exotic creations. Pleats played an important role, while a clever play of sheer and opaque metallic shimmer gave the creations a sexy seductive feel. Lattice work, laser cutting for wide peplums and intricately crafted flared skirts were a breathtaking part of the show.

The veiled, tasselled mysterious entries in all black, red and deep blue added to the drama and intrigue of the collection, which Amit brought in at regular intervals.

His showstopper was the very regal, gorgeous, Sushmita Sen, Miss Universe 1994 who was a grand end to the show as she glided in a black, striped, fitted, draped gown.

Adding further highlights to the collection was the specially crafted jewellery. Giant intricately crafted ear flaps and striped hair pieces perched at the back of the models’ heads complemented the garments in an innovative manner.

When women want to make a sensational entrance and are daring and bold to carry off strong crafted ensembles, Amit Aggarwal’s creations will have the perfect impact on the gathering.