Malini Ramani, Rina Dhaka unfold winter story on AIFW ramp

New Delhi, March 27 (IANS) It was time for the darker shades of winter to take over the ramp of the Amazon India Fashion Week here, with designers Malini Ramani and Rina Dhaka taking to the stage to present their collections with a recurring naturalistic theme, tying them up together.

The two designers had their shows scheduled back-to-back on the second day Thursday of the five-day fashion gala at Pragati Maidan here. And both presented a visual treat to the fashion enthusiasts at the event.

There was a good chunk of romanticism with hues of beige, plum and a dash of blue.

Ramani's collection 'Free Spirit' mainly trailed into the darker realms of winter while playing with colours like black (which dominated the range), olive green, red and golden. The collection can be defined by long skirts with side thigh high slits, ankle length skirt with slits, asymmetrical cuts with embellishments, motifs and zardozi work.

Some dresses from her collection outshined the rest with an extraordinary shine oozing out of them -- be it the outfit with sequins, printed trousers, cape with flower motifs or half sleeves jacket exuding a 'cow-boy' feel.

Whereas Dhaka's collection is all about classic checks, stripes, spider weaves, leaves and ikat like patterns. The collection boasts of box-like asymmetrical designs all caught in embroideries.

"It (collection) is the use of linear movements from a straight line to a way of light. I have tried to make it as simple. We also went into stories with plants or with some of the cut-works, formats or spider-like things," Dhaka told reporters at the press briefing post her show.

Dhaka's range is all about layering with an element of abstract and a surprise factor in each outfit. Be it giving a 3D effect through a garment, shadow effect dress or geometric embroidered linear dress.

From the colour palette, she has imbued shades of nude, blue, charcoal black and plum with fabrics like lace, cotton, stretchy fabric, velvet, satin with handwork, cut-work, patch work.

It's not only dark shades for Dhaka. There is also a burst of colours like pink, purple and red in her line. Dhaka also noted that for 2015 she is planning to make "ready to wear" collection.

The ensemble was complemented with a gothic look, created with smoky eyes and umkept plaits. Funky accessories like big nose rings, chunky neck pieces, bracelets, fur, headgear and scarves also added spunk to the collection.

Popular names like Ambika Pillai and Carol Gracias were also spotted cheering for the designers. Designer Tarun Tahiliani also greeted Dhaka after the show, calling her his "Julia Roberts".

Ironically, while Dhaka thanked media for taking out time and coming out to support the fashion industry, Ramani skipped the press briefing session post her show.

Meanwhile, Pearl Academy, one of the key sponsors of the fashion week, launched UG and PG courses in Fashion & Lifestyle E-Commerce (FLE) and Indian Couture (IC) on day two. Designers like Samant Chauhan and Hemant-Nandita duo also showcased their collection on day two.