7 key takeaways from Lakmé Fashion Week to consider for your wardrobe

The first indication that things were going to be different at this year’s edition of Lakmé Fashion Week sponsored by FDCI? The season started with a show called ‘Boys Club’. Objectionable titling aside, it alluded to the fact that it was a menswear-focused show, a sign of the season to come, where an overwhelming number of designers offered clothing for men. Usually, the opener is GenNext, which was shuffled to the morning of the second day instead. It was a subtle, perhaps insignificant shift, but it reflected the start of a season that overall leaned in a more focused manner towards ready-to-wear, a relief for those of us who prefer to see bridalwear at the annual couture week. As a result, the four-day event in Mumbai actually offered a reflection of where Indian fashion is going in the coming year. Scroll ahead to see our notes from the season.

Restraint was the buzzword

At AK|OK, Anamika Khanna dialled things down, letting fabric and silhouette do the talking. There were flowy separates, draped tops, and languid dresses that moved with ease. AK|OK’s signature beading, fringe, and prints made fleeting cameos, but overall the pared-back pieces felt refreshing coming from Khanna. I loved the newly launched shiny satin Onitsuka Tiger Plabala sneakers Samar Rajput styled the looks with.

Over at Chola’s theatrical presentation of its ‘Echoes in Monochrome’ collection, every look was rendered strictly in black and white. Restraint isn’t the first word that may come to mind when you think of Péro, but this season Aneeth Arora narrowed down her colour palette to just two hues—blue and white—letting embroidery, craft, and shape carry the story instead. —Chloe Chou

From boys to men

The Indian man’s wardrobe is about to get an overhaul. No longer is it all about suiting, dressy bandhgalas or even simply normcore-esque baggy jeans and sneakers (hallelujah!). The current mood is more wearable, but it’s also design-forward. Think playful embroidered jackets (Jubinav, Dhruv Vaish), great knitwear (Sahil Aneja, CRCLE), modern mundus (Abraham & Thakore, Payal Pratap) and embroidered trousers galore (Kartik Research, Taarini Anand). It’s inspired by India but it’s global—casual yet reflective of a specific taste. Maybe we should all be borrowing from the boys. —Butool Jamal

Fringe, string, and other tings

Things were swishing and swinging all over the place. AK|OK by Anamika Khanna used fringe to bring a kind of raw, unfinished element to her polished separates, while the designer Saim (who incidentally trained under Khanna) was more straightforward in his liberal use of tassels and cords on bohemian kurtas, shirts, and pyjamas. Even Péro offered up layers of beaded fringe on a few jackets and socks, while at Line Outline there were tassels hanging off oversized blazers and Triune offered a fringed jacket for men where the leather strips went all the way to the floor. Would I want to walk around with bits of material hanging off my clothes? Probably not. But it did look like fun for the models and it definitely looked good in the photos. Hopefully, there will be versions of these looks for the regular folks who aren’t taking OOTDs as well. —Butool Jamal

OOO was the overarching theme

It seems everyone was yearning for a summer holiday. Anjali Patel Mehta at Verandah transported her audience to The White Lotus. She’s cracked the formula and she gets better at it every season. Bestselling colour combos and patterns got an update; there were printed cotton co-ords and a few fun swimsuits. I loved how the models sashayed down the runway—carefree, full of oomph, and it looked like they were having fun! Even at Satya Paul (this time with Aditi Rao Hydari as co-creative director), there were a number of vibrant, summer-ready kaftans and flowy dresses alongside printed saris and separates made for destination weddings. Jubinav at GenNext, meanwhile, ran for the hills with an outerwear-heavy collection inspired by the Valley of Flowers in Uttarakhand. And Péro’s finale showcase, of course, was literally themed ‘Out of Office’.—Chloe Chou

A season drenched in blue (and white)

It’s not a groundbreaking combination but, interestingly, none of it was nautical-inspired. The combination was versatile enough to be found on everything from Payal Pratap’s experiments with denim to AFEW by Rahul Mishra’s evening gowns, Abraham & Thakore’s tailored separates (and sari skirts!) and Pawan Sachdeva’s embroidered khadi denim. Designer Aneeth Arora was so committed to the cause that she didn’t even offer up different shades of blue, sticking to one deep indigo that translated as stripes, slogans, and motifs inspired by Delft pottery and toile de Jouy. —Butool Jamal

The show everyone wanted to be at

Definitely Kartik Research, the LVMH prize semifinalist and recipient of the Fashion Trust Arabia India Guest Country Award, who staged his first ever show in India. Reactions on the ground were divided. For some, it was all hype; the chunky knits, paisley-covered pants and patchwork suits didn’t feel especially new. For others (like me), it was a unique take on what being inspired by India can look like. Both sides agreed that the music by Sudan was a winner. —Butool Jamal

Naked dressing for Indian weddings

Gowns with strategic cutouts are hardly groundbreaking anymore. But draped vintage Benarasi sari gowns with micropleats? That’s a different proposition. Call me a perv, but I loved Amit Aggarwal’s take on naked dressing engineered from reworked Benarasi textiles. It was unabashedly sexy. The series of black looks were especially great and felt like the strongest argument in favour of his eveningwear-meets-weddingwear vision. A bit of subversion for the traditional bridal circuit. —Chloe Chou