Aneeth Arora's hippie vibe resonates at AIFW

Ensconced in an off-site alfresco setting under the trees, Aneeth Arora recreated a fun and nomadic vibe through her collection at Amazon India Fashion Week.
The Crafts Museum, which was the setting of the show, saw models for the fashion designer's brand Pero walk to live foot-tapping djembe beats, saxophone and beatboxing, which seemed to go with the flow like the Caribbean backwaters.
Florals and fluorescent colours lit up the otherwise understated whites, ochres, blues and blacks.
Breezy fabrics, jackets, overcoats and striped pants gave a laid-black feel to the entire collection.
When the first model stepped down from the stairs and skipped a beat while walking across the path, the viewers were tricked into believing that she had stumbled.

The models were asked to sashay with a hop in their step, compelling even the audience to root for their playful, carefree avatar, which was a refreshing break from the mundane straight-up walk usually seen on the ramp.

Describing her collection as "a mix of elements from China and Latin America (Peru, Mexico and Guatemala)", Arora said her fashion line was inspired from cultures worldwide but hand-made in India.
"For fall-winter 2017, I decided to open my travel journals and revisit all those places that I had travelled to and recorded/documented all my memories and everything that inspired me."
Arora said she feels lucky to have the liberty to create garments and narrate stories "purely out of instinct" and not always be bound by the shackles of logic.

"Although the inspiration might be from the minority tribes of China and indigenous people of Latin America, the fabrics and trims developed are very much of Indian origin, like all our previous seasons.
"The colourful stripes seen on Peruvian ponchos, have been woven in wool in Kullu, Himachal Pradesh and indigo checks and stripes are hand-woven in West Bengal," she said.
Another highlight of the show was the Bob Marley-esque braided hair worn by the models, which was covered with printed bandanas, decorated with beaded trims, tassels and pom-poms.
Nets and velvets were also used in the clothes, rich with floral motifs with hints of reds, oranges, yellows and greens to elevate the solid single colour palette.

In another surprise, the models organised themselves and danced together in circles facing the audience while holding their hands together to end the musical evening on a high note.