Be Summer Chic This Winter

Tarun Tahiliani PRINT-A-HOLIC We know that prints are no longer part of the supporting cast for the cooler months. They are now in the lead. The SS15 runways were ablaze with prints of all kinds: eccentric, off-beat, environment-inspired and more. Dev rNil Gauri & Nainika Hemant & Nandita Geisha Designs by Paras & Shalini Niharika Pandey Shivan & Narresh Pankaj & Nidhi Josh Goraya Masaba MAN, I FEEL LIKE A WOMAN! The classic pant suit is a staple sight during every fashion week. Designers have reinvented this masculine silhouette yet again, bringing in their own unique elements. Strut your stuff in these über-smart suits that have gone from boardroom boredom to empowering and edgy. Dev rNil Rajesh Pratap Singh Payal Singhal Ashish N Soni Ashish NSoni Sneha Arora IN FULL FORCE In the realm of Spring/Summer must-haves, the full skirt is the queen. But just because it’s winter that doesn’t mean we can’t sport ’em! Layer them up with a structured blazer or a biker jacket, and flaunt them with élan in the cooler months as well! Atsu Kavita Bhartia Gauri & Nainika Saaj by Ankita Pankaj & Nidhi Rajesh Pratap Singh Vivek Karunakaran Payal Pratap A WHITE WINTER It has already been established that white is big this season. Take a cue from some of these stunning pieces that designers set aside for a beautiful summer day and team them up with some sassy fur coats or gilets to make them winter worthy. Samant Chauhan Sanchita Masaba Payal Pratap Ritu Pandey Siddartha Tytler Wendell Rodricks Neeta Bhargava PHOTOs dr Spruce up your wardrobe with the season’s key pieces. We have chosen a few options that we are coveting... All you need to do is pick the right one! REALISATION LISA JOUVIN MULT IPLECHOICE QUESTIONS Boots SAINT LAURENT BY HEDI SLIMANE Glitter leather boots, approximately `57,700, or the suede and crystal version, approximately `92,700. Bag FURLA “Métropolis” leather bag, approximately `18,000, or the leather and lambskin version, approximately `20,000. Clutch MARY KATRANTZOU Leather and Plexiglas clutches, from approximately `1,74,000. Shoes christian LOUBOUTIN Patent leather or satin shoes, approximately `34,500.

Earrings DIOR Metal and resin earrings, palladium or gold finish, between approximately `24,000 and approximately `40,000. Designer Nikhita Tandon discovered that her ideology was quite different from her mom’s, so she embarked on a solo journey that gave luck a chance to play its part! Gown-ing Glory When you have a mother who has been in the industry for almost 15 years and an exporter father, you are bound to love fabrics, colours and silhouettes. That’s just what happened with Nikhita Tandon, daughter of known designer Reynu Tandon, who began her journey in the world of fashion when she was barely 18. And she will tell you with a poker face, “I have no regrets that I began so young.” Accompanying her father who used to travel abroad to fairs to pick up the finest fabrics, learning the nuances of pattern-cutting and sampling, Nikhita got her first order from Royal Sporting House’s line Mumbai Se, in 2007. And that set the ball rolling. “Fusion was the need of the hour, that’s just what I did,” she says. “I had returned home after studying at the London College of Fashion and with a degree in retail management from Berkeley, California, and was raring to go.” The year 2009 was when life changed forever for Nikhita. She launched her label, with a focus on gowns—mostly red carpet dresses—on the prodding of her mother who saw how deftly her daughter could drape. Unlike her own silhouette-based ensembles, Nikhita’s creations explored the nuances of draping expertly. “I have had it hard, I learnt everything hands-on,” says Tandon. “I used to do everything for my mom’s shows—hair, makeup, choreography and backstage management—so I wasn’t exactly molly-coddled,’’ she reminisces. ‘‘I was made to work hard, right from a young age, when I used to wait for autos in the blazing sun to travel to our embroidery units,” she says, recalling her shift from west Delhi to a secluded farmhouse in Chhatarpur, which took her a while to adjust to. Mostly servicing markets like Europe, Paris, New York and the Middle-East, Nikhita believes that occasion wear holds a big chunk of the market share today, and that’s just what she would like to delve into. Gowns are currently having a great run, and even pregnant women want to wear a nice, fitted one for their baby showers. And why not? They are low on embroidery yet high on style. “I didn’t understand colours, that’s where mom stepped in and helped me,” she says. “I sat in addas with masterjis to figure out how I can make women look slimmer with effective draping. It took me time, but I did get there.” Reynu Tandon taught her daughter the biggest lesson— how to tell a story through clothes—as every new season arrives with fresh challenges. Nikhita’s lack of experience didn’t seem a deterrent, with a mother gently guiding her through the maze of fashion. “I tend to go a bit overboard sometimes by making it limited to size zero girls, not realising that restraint is a quality that gets you far while styling,” says Nikhita. “But I also slowly discovered that gowns have a universal appeal and flatter all age groups,” she adds. “It is a misnomer that Indian women can’t carry off gowns. They have, in fact, been preferring gowns over saris now, and are loving it.” Hoping to open multiple retail stores all over the country, wanting to change the landscape of how business is conducted with concept-oriented clothing, Nikhita is now trying to think less about wanting to make women look sexy and concentrating more on not dressing perfect bodies. “Middle-Eastern women love gowns beneath those burqas and really know how to jazz it up,” she says. “I have full-sleeve gowns, a play of sheer and also some with one-shoulder or off-shoulder ones—there is so much to choose from.” Nikhita believes that gowns can play up your strengths if they are cut appropriately. “Even though it takes me five to seven days to make one, I enjoy the laborious process.” Interestingly,there is a lot more to this young powerhouse than just sewing techniques. She is an ace choreographer and jazz and Bollywood dancer, who can lock herself in a room and groove to beats for hours. “As a kid I learnt Kathak and taught as an instructor at Shiamak Davar’s institute in Delhi,’’ she says. ‘‘Dance comes naturally to me. It is cathartic and it keeps me sane in the madness that fashion is,” she signs off. “I sat in addas with masterjis to figure out how I can make women look slimmer with effective draping.” BY Lisa Jouvin PHOTOGRAPHS BY STUDIO L’éTIQUETTE SPORTYGIRL Crocodile sandals, Dior, price on request.

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“Jackie Soft” crocodile bag, Gucci, price on request.

Metal neckpiece, Chanel, approximately `4,10,000.

Plastic and metal sunglasses, Gucci, approximately `23,650 .