Ace designer Manav Gangwani's idiosyncratic taste on local designs provided a graceful presentation of India's rich heritage and culture at the FDCI India Couture Week.
Titled "India @ 70", the collection was an amalgamation of traditionalism along with modern edgy elements that were incorporated in each garment.
This time Gangwani chose actress Disha Patani to help him accentuate his idea of showcasing the best of what the country had to offer.
Patani's gorgeous walk in a black sequined trousseau and a 'nawabi style' maang tikka was a picturesque moment.
"It's such a unique idea to collaborate Indian style with western, so the whole collection was exactly not ethnic but also had some western touch to it. It's classy and makes you feel so pretty.
"This is totally a different side of mine. I'm usually in casuals or sporty clothes. This is more girly and Indian," Patani told reporters.
To make the evening more unconventional and a never- ending affair, just as the audience wanted, Gangwani decided to keep the length of the runway a little longer.
The inspiration for the collection was taken from various regions in India. It incorporated elements of design from states such as Kashmir reflecting jamawars, bandhanis of Rajasthan, kathakali from Kerala and brocades of Varanasi.
Intricate motifs that were embroidered on the garments worked as storyboards depicting interesting scenes from the Mughal era.
"India is all about different cultures and religions coming together and that was the whole idea behind the collection. May be most of us have forgotten or not realised this is the 70th year of Independence so I just thought why not to take an idea and present it to the audience," Gangwani said.
"We started from the history like we had the Mughals at the show and the Make in India at one of our installation pieces. So, it was like going from many yesteryears and coming down to 2017."
Silk, brocades, rich velvets and sheer gauzy tissues with gold, were the fabrics chosen for the collection, featuring saris, long jackets and skirts and heavy lehenga cholis in royal blue, crimson, ivory, orange and green.
Actor Zayed Khan and designer Varun Bahl also attended the show.
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