Manish Malhotra showcased his spring/summer collection ‘A Summer Affair’ on the 11th of March during Lakmé Fashion Week. Malhotra is best known for the colorful, traditional Indian costumes that he designs for Bollywood films. The noted Indian designer attracted an A-list celebrity clientele to his runway show on the 11th. Famous actresses like Kajol and Urmila Matondkar looked graceful in their Malhotra designs as they sat front row to see his new collection. A Malhotra fashion show wouldn’t be a Malhotra fashion show without a celebrity muse walking the ramp; this time natural beauty, actress Sonakshi Sinha was chosen to walk the runway for Manish wearing a stunning blue gown decorated with white embroidery…what a showstopper!
East meets West
Malhotra is known for his modern interpretations of traditional, Indian gowns. This time he went for an ‘East meets West’ look. A contemporary spring/summer collection featuring innovative silhouettes decorated with traditional Indian embroidery. Malhotra is stepping out of his comfort zone and this collection shows he is capable of designing fashion forward, contemporary gowns, suitable for both Indian and western women. A lehenga skirt combined with a simple, loose-fitted blouse is an example of East meets West, and it works extremely well!
A modern day romance
Malhotra’s new collection is all about romance, he explains the idea behind his collection:
“A Summer Affair is influenced by the romanticism that exists in today’s day and age…where layers and boundaries are surpassed… the young in love are distracted and are expressing their individuality. Summer 2014 for me is about the feelings and emotions this modern day romance evokes”
This collection includes sheer, lightweight fabrics such as organza, georgette, tulle and Chantilly lace. With this collection Malhotra shows that a modern day romance is all about ease and comfort. What I love about this collection is that it is modern, sophisticated, feminine and romantic. The combination of lightweight fabrics and a color palette exisiting of hues of pink, powder blue, beige, ivory, navy and grey makes it perfect for the spring-summer season. The bold floral prints Manish used for a few of his creations remind me of a floral print (dress) Lucy Liu wore at the 2012 Golden Globes designed by Carolina Herrera, similar floral prints are also used by Dolce & Gabbana. I am a big fan of floral prints, if well executed. I like the floral skirt Manish Malhotra designed, combined with a long sleeved floral crop-top. Another favorite of mine is a lace pink skirt combined with a simple white blouse. It is modern, sophisticated and the skirt looks breath taking! The blue designs are also on my list of must-haves. These pieces are easy to wear and are very suitable for spring-summer outings like outdoor dinner parties. Another design that caught my eye is a green top decorated with ivory/white embroidery, short at the front and very long at the back. It looks like a long jacket or cape and is combined with a shiny beige pant. I love the way Manish plays with different silhouettes, there really are no boundaries!
Malhotra presented a creative and innovative collection to his audience, which shows that he is a very skilled designer eager to set new fashion standards and create new fashion trends.
For more information about Manish Malhotra visit: manishmalhotra.in
