The glamour and beauty of the eternally loved Chikankari is something every woman longs for in her wardrobe. In India, no label can showcase it better than the House of Kotwara by Sama, Meera and Muzaffar Ali, as the designers did at Lakmé Fashion Week Summer/Resort 2020.
The elegance and traditional style of Awadh’s sartorial splendour was evident in the classic silhouettes and intricate crafts. The latest collection called “Baharaan” for the coming season, was a stylish, fashionable offering as the designing trio brought elegant jackets, scintillating dresses, eye-catching jumpsuits along with ethnic wear in cotton and linen that were splashed with Kotwara’s memorable Chikankari classic embellishments.
The colour story was visually arresting, as shades of olive, pink, ivory, and the eternal favourites black and white were highlighted with striking splashes of floral Chikan work in contrasting hues. To add more excitement to the ensembles, the designers brought in appliqués and kaamdani work.
Dividing the show in two distinct segments of white and black the display opened with the pristine white line and hints of pastels. The defining silhouette for the pants was either cropped, flared or palazzos some with scalloped hemlines. Detailing of course, came in the form of the lovely Chikankari work with Gotta Patti at times replacing the conventional dupattas.
The black segment was ideal for after dark soirées when a sharara, jumpsuit and another version as an off shoulder one appeared on the catwalk. A solo kurta with pink edging gave a pop of colour to the black line. Western wear was daring with playsuits, and jumpsuits vying for attention, while the midi dresses with shirt-tail hemlines and drawstring waists were ideal for the rising mercury. The skinny pants with bralettes and soft coats were a sexy daring addition to the show along with a couple of shorts with a sexy strappy top. At times the multicoloured embroidery added a fun element to the otherwise very sophisticated and regal look of the ensembles.
To end the show, it had to be the very beautiful and regal Dia Mirza, who glided on the ramp in a grey lehenga with superb white and gold embellishments that had appliquéd, gotta, sequins and pearl work. This was worn with a white fully encrusted corset. The fabric was specially created in Banaras. The innovation for the trio was a Gotta Patti border as a dupatta.
When it comes to evening wear that is lovingly created by the expert crafts women of Kotwara, fashionistas will adore the timeless Chikankari collection called “Baharaan” visualised by Sama, Meera and Muzaffar Ali from the House of Kotwara.
