A paradise for women fashionistas

Exploring the reciprocal relationship between high fashion and evolving ideals of beauty, Arti Bagdy’s Fashion Collezione held on Tuesday focussed on the festive or autumn wear that left the exhibitors and visitors thirsting for more. It was an exhibition that played window to the trendiest fashion and lifestyle. By noon, the ballroom at Hyatt Regency was swarming with women of all age groups. The fashion collezione that exhibited 40 stalls had customers flocking every hour without giving a break to the designers. Though this time there were quite a few new designers in Arti’s show, the regular designers were predominantly a hit among the visitors. But still, new designers such as Mira Jewellery from Kolkata, Linen & Linens and BeetRoot from Mumbai showcased a great deal of clothes and jewellery that would suit the Chennai market. The show witnessed an assortment of jewel tones from royal blue, deep red, bottle green to the subtle tones of beige, pink and yellow. For sure, Chennai women had plenty of colours to choose from. While one block of stalls were brimming with young girls trying out light weight polki jewellery, the other block saw women shopping pleasant linen cushions and bed spreads. With no compromise on the shopping experience, every woman who visited Arti’s show picked up a stylish designer product from each stall before they headed to another.“No design is similar to another,” says Arti. “The designers have stuck to their forte.” For instance, Sancia by Rita and Pooja was a visual treat to our eyes. The pastel toned salwars fabricated with machine embroidery was a trend to watch out for. “Ranging from `1, 800 to `68,000, the designs suit any market and can be worn for any season,” says Rita of Sancia. While BeetRoot displayed an array of bright coloured net and chiffon saris with subdued designs patterned on it, Sampada stick to its cotton wear in variegated colours. “Sampada is a big hit among lawyers and doctors. The price is affordable and the fabric is regular cotton with block print designs on it. The specialty about Sampada is that they carve their own designs on the blocks that are used for printing,” explains Arti. Clad in one of her own design, Aasya brought in a wide range of Pakistani ensembles that were enhanced with delicate lace and pearl detailing. With colours that would camouflage the skin tone of Chennai women, her collection was also a favourite among many young girls.