Lakme Fashion Week: Aarti Vijay Gupta puts the art into Winter/Festive 2013

Fashion Month may not have begun yet for New York/London/Paris/Milan, but Lakme Fashion Week has already come round again - how time flies in the style calendar. Right now, the hottest Indian designers have just shown or are about to show their collections to the crowds, causing Bollywood's finest to flock to the side of the catwalk (or even to be part of the show). 

First up in this series of posts is a design talent who has the edge when it comes to prints; this season she's really showed her artistic knowledge.

 Aarti Vijay Gupta hits the right notes with her Winter/Festive designs.

 [Images via The Fashion Weekend.]

 I love the cut of this trouser suit.

Aarti Vijay Gupta has to be my favourite designer to come out of India. I've written about her many times previously on the blog and compared her eye for prints to that of Mary Katrantzou, and this season's offering was even more fun and fearless. She called it simply 'I Love Music' and combined linear drawings of trumpets, drums and pianos with classic music-themed paintings by Salvador Dali and Pablo Picasso (The Red Orchestra and The Old Guitarist, respectively). 

 Dali's surrealist painting sees a skeletal man playing another like a cello.

[Image via Wikipedia.org.]

 

 Picasso's Old Guitarist was part of his Blue Period.

[Image via Wikipaintings.org].

This was a youthful and lively collection, standing out from the current punk trend that's rocking the UK and feeling more authentic. As ever with Gupta, the shapes of pieces were edgy and directional, from crisp jumpsuits to minimalist sheath dresses, accessorised with the white spectacles that have become a signature part of her work. It feels like she has really hit her stride.

If you want to see more examples of art inspiring fashion from the blog, check out the Ansel Adams and David Hockney-esque prints by Warehouse and the Delaroche tribute dress by Giles Deacon that had me waxing lyrical. For even more designer insight, see my report from the front row of Holly Fulton's A/W 2012 show and my backstage interview with her about the connection between fashion and art. Make no mistake, readers: the two topics are firmly intertwined, as Aarti Vijay Gupta has proved so recently.

Lakme Fashion Week S/S 2013: Why Aarti Vijay Gupta's Map Print Is Bang On Trend

When I saw the catwalk images from Aarti Vijay Gupta's Spring/Summer 2013 collection at India's Lakme Fashion Week, my heart skipped a beat. Not just because I'm a massive fan of her work, for its use of conceptual prints, but because I saw maps and stamps. 

For the designer it was the start of 'I Love India', a clutch of pieces that included references to Mahatma Gandhi, Indian tigers and a coal train. For me, sitting in rainy old England, it was the chance to step into another country and to get a glimpse of it from AVG's perspective. 

 The print looks beautiful on a sari.

[Catwalk images via Lakme Fashion Week].

If there's one trend that's been simmering on the surface of this season, it's a print that relates to travel - from Mary Katrantzou's S/S13 stamp and coin inspired designs and her collaboration with Current Elliott, to Christopher Raeburn's map dress and Topshop's map-emblazoned bikini, swimsuit and scarf that are currently flying off the shelves at a store near you.

Mary Katrantzou for Current Elliott [Image via fashion-law.org].

Christopher Raeburn dress, S/S13 [Image via christopherraeburn.co.uk].

Topshop's traveller trend is in full swing [Images via topshop.com].

Whereas 2012 in commercial fashion was all about patriotic UK flags, with the Union Jack getting a boost from the Jubilee and the Olympics, 2013 is about where you're going, as well as where you're from. That's why cartography has become a recurring inspiration for clothing and accessories, along with travel-inspired jewellery such as beaded glass and thread bracelets.

 Whatever the colour palette, the maps still look edgy and crisp.

It's all about heritage prints and more stamps than you can shake a stick at.

Nice to see AVG's trademark glasses making an appearance again, too.

More than anything, this collection reminds me why I want to visit India; to get out my passport and explore a little more of that world map, but also to see the place that inspires great designers such as Aarti Vijay Gupta. I will be upholding the traveller trend as much as possible this year!

Lakme Fashion Week: Designers to Watch in 2013

Although the fashion world is currently revolving around the Big Four (New York, London, Milan and Paris - we're currently still on Milan), it's worth noting that another important showcase is just around the corner. Lakme Fashion Week will be held in Mumbai from 22nd-26th March, where we'll get to see Spring/Summer Resort collections for 2013. As a bit of an Indiaholic (I've seen a fair few Bollywood films, I'm saving up to go to India and I love reading the Vogue India website), I couldn't resist bringing you a taste of Indian style.

The organisers of LFW Mumbai (don't get it confused with London's LFW) listed their Next Gen and Emerging Designers back in January, so I've picked a few of my favourites that I'll definitely be looking out for next month.

Ilk, by Shikha Grover and Vinita Adhikari - from Noida

[Images via Ilk's website]. 

Dreamy textures and drapery make up Ilk's latest offering.

You may have spotted Ilk on the independent online boutique, Not Just a Label. Their most recent collection was called I Lose Myself and featured deconstructed threads, layers of different textures and pops of neon in accessories. They really push themselves to experiment with forms and with influences when they are designing (for example, I Lose Myself was based on ideas about 'what metamorphic thinking is not' and 'anatomical exploration'). Expect big ideas and wearable pieces.

Nikhil Thampi - from Mumbai

[Images via Vogue.in and Google Images].

Nikhil Thampi's vampish designs are irresistible and flattering.

The dress in the centre is completely backless except for two leather straps and was worn with leather leggings by Evelyn Sharma.

Since 2011, Thampi has been charming India with his designs, which have been seen on some seriously glamorous celebrities such as Anoushka and Evelyn Sharma. His dresses tend to involve sweeping folds of fabric, open backs and clean lines without busy patterns, making them a popular choice for red carpet events. However, there's also a quirky side to his work - see his chainmail and leather corset and a velvet dress with leather straps as examples of something a little less traditional.

Thampi always wanted to be in fashion but was set to join the family business instead. What changed his mind was when he helped out a friend who was preparing to show at Lakme Fashion Week, bringing him back into the industry. Although he isn't formally trained, his work shows that he obviously made the right choice in becoming a designer.

Aarti Vijay Gupta - from Mumbai

 [Images via Vogue.in].

Gupta's creations are clever and make brilliant use of her print skills.

I've written about Aarti Vijay Gupta at LFW before, as I was so impressed by her A/W 2012 collection based on colour charts and technical patterns, mixed with black and white doodles. People have also compared her work to that of Masaba, a label which has recently focused on repeat patterns of symbols and objects, such as hand prints, cows or letters (as seen in Permia's Pop-Up Shop).

It's also worth noting that Aarti Vijay Gupta's Pantone-esque exploration of colour also saw her creating a print of shirt templates, which was echoed by Lacoste's recent use of shirt print fabric in their S/S 2013 line. Clearly conceptual ideas such as this are not exclusive to one brand, and it's great to see the trend spanning continents.

Which Lakme designers get your vote? Do you keep an eye on Fashion Week around the world? Let me know. Oh, and if you need even more persuading that India is where it's at, check out this brilliant feminist commentary from (male) designer Sabyasachi on female beauty laws.

Lakme Fashion Week: India's Take on A/W 2012

Felix Bendish knows how to open at Lakme Fashion Week.

Far from there just being four style capitals of the world, Fashion Week takes over in many nations twice a year and brings the new season to buyers and press. You might not get to read as much about them unless you specifically look for designers or round-ups, but it's worth keeping an eye on what the catwalk has to offer when it's not based in London, Paris, Milan or New York. 

Today I'm turning my attention to India, where Lakme Fashion Week is a huge event. I watched the Bollywood film Fashion a few years ago and have been admiring the country's creative output ever since. Here are the designers who you should be watching, if autumn/winter 2012 is anything to go by...

 Aarti Vijay Gupta produced a really intelligent and graphic collection.

Mixing quirky sketches and precise colour wheels and educational charts, this was Aarti Vijay Gupta's exercise in how to add a touch of the cerebral to your clothes. The glasses worn by the models might have taken the geek motif a bit too literally but otherwise this was a really well-produced range that wouldn't look out of place in a British boutique. I definitely want the last dress in the image above - the anatomical print is just too good to miss.

 Dolly J's take on autumn/winter reminded me a lot of Ralph Lauren.

I could see a lot of Ralph Lauren's extravagant evening gowns and autumnal colour palette in Dolly J's range, but she gave it an injection of personality that added Bollywood flavour with the embellished top seen on the left and the layers of different fabrics and finishes on the chest of the dress on the right. And, whereas Lauren kept things severe with Downton Abbey decorum, Dolly's outfits were a lot more free-spirited.

 One of the coolest trends I spotted was 'half and half':

cutting vertically into the design with a different colour or style.

L-R: Kiran &; Meghna; Gaurav Gupta; Tahera Peeran.

I love the cut-and-paste style of panelled clothing (apart from horrendous 90s patchwork denim - yes, it still makes me shudder) and when it's done as well as these three examples then it shows how much fun you can have when you divert from the norm. My favourite is Gaurav Gupta's pink dress with half a sleeved jacket, which takes a leaf out of Vivienne Westwood's book with an Anglomania feel.

 Some designs gave a strong nod to Western fashion. 

L-R: Drashta Sarvaiya; Nupur Kanoi (looking very Balmain); Mrinalini.

 A trio of eye-catching shapes on the catwalk that caught my attention. 

L-R: Gaurav Gupta; Virtues; Pankaj & Nidhi. 

Virtues went for a sculptural edge with a distinct Gothic-meets-folklore feel.

Another unmissable collection that I was drawn to was the folkloric Virtues, with heavy boots and bold trims contrasting with flowing fabrics. What's more, most of it was distinctly wearable and wouldn't look out of place on the red carpet or in the pages of Western fashion magazines. I definitely think that more fashion editors should look to Indian designers for inspiration and photo shoot material, as there's a wealth of talent out there.

[All images taken from Vogue India and the official Lakme Fashion Week website].