It's a wrap - Thursday was the last day of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York, where designers debuted their Spring/ Summer 2013 collections. South Asian designers made their mark in the week-long spectacle, with three mainstays and one newcomer showing off their creations. Here's a recap:
Naeem Khan: Mr. Khan, 54, unveiled 42 looks at Lincoln Center at a runway show, which, as usual, was a must-attend for all the top fashion editors and celebrities, including the actress and “Top Chef†host Padma Lakshmi. While the designer's fall collection was reminiscent of India, this one, named “The Duchess of Windsor: Exotic Gardens, Fiery Skies and the Arabian Sea,†drew heavily from Morocco, with geo metric patterns taken from traditional art, floral imagery and fiery desert sunsets. Mr. Khan brought these concepts to fruition through prints, beading, threadwork and laser cuts in his signature dresses as well as in separates, and gravitated toward black, white and blue hues.
Prabal Gurung: The Nepalese designer's presentation at Pier 57 on Manhattan's West Side had a sprinkling of celebrities, including actresses like Kate Bosworth and Hailee Steinfeld and models like Elettra Wiedemann and Lily Kwong, but the focus was on his positively received line, which he said is all about giving women freedom. “I wanted to come up with pieces that women can move easily in and that don't have an overt sexiness,†he told India Ink. To that end, he designed chiffon tunics over kurta pajama-style pants, as well as chiffon dresses and blazers with a chiffon trail in various shades of red as well as blue, gray and black. Prints were present but more subtle, with images like fragmented flowers and feathers. “The chiffon gives the feeling of a little bit of air,†he said.
Mr. Gurung, who declines to give his age, got a bigger boost after his show when he found out that Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge, wore a printed dress from his spring 2012 collection during her visit to Singapore. “I can't even tell you how amazing it is professionally and how surreal,†he said. “It's a dream and very emotional for me, and it solidifies my belief in what I am trying to do as a designer.†He added that he had no idea that Ms. Middleton was going to don the bold dress or where she might have bought it.
Sheena Trivedi: The 28-year-old designer from Pittsburgh made her Fashion Week debut this season with a presentation of her collection “Boarding Pass: New York, New Dehli†at The Glasshouses on Manhattan's West Side. The pieces mark the launch of her womenswear label, which is very much Indian-inspired , featuring embroidery and handmade brocades, along with bold colors like red, mustard, royal blue and purple. The former buyer for Saks Fifth Avenue told India Ink that fusing together both Western and Indian cultures is her goal as a designer. “I grew up in the U.S. but traveled to India regularly so it's natural for me to bring in that element into the clothes I design,†she said.
Bibhu Mohapatra: The Orissa-born designer presented his second runway collection at the Lincoln Center. Mr. Mohapatra, 40, said that the 30 looks represent an evolution in women and were dreamed up while he was in upstate New York this summer designing costumes for “Aida,†which was playing at Glimmerglass Opera in Cooperstown.
“I saw a beautiful moth sitting on a barn door, which someone told me was a luna moth,†he said, a green insect with coral trim and orange antennae. “I couldn't stop looking at it and took lots of pictures of it on my phone.†According to a leg end, anyone who comes into contact with the moth is changed.
Mr. Mohapatra's clothes included the cocktail and black-tie dresses for which he is known, but he also incorporated in a number of daywear separates and dresses in fabrics like leather and suede in tones of pistachio, ivory, coral and green. “I tried to make the clothes very ethereal looking and springy,†he said.
