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The final show on Day 3 of the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2013 was a gateway to a paradisaical retreat, sensual in character and surreal in imagination.

Designer Ranna Gill named her collection ‘Exotica’ (a sponsored show by Fiama Di Wills) owing to principles of luxury, innovation and passion. While we thoroughly liked Gauri and Nainika’s bias toward the colour white in a way that duo decided to showcase an entire collection almost colourless, Ranna Gill picked the colour to discover all possible shades that humanity beholds in nature.

Flying into the garden with an aerial act

To include live performances in fashion shows seems to be the new mantra with designers these days. Designers probably wish to spice up the presented collection with a certain degree of more entertainment not quite visible earlier. Ranna Gill’s show too had a star performer, a woman dressed in pure white, playing effortlessly with ropes in an aerial act. The acrobatics skills and breathtaking summersaults that she descended into beguiled us from believing we were there to witness a collection of summer-spring outfits. Needless to say, the audience was left speechless, only their claps of applause resounded in appreciation. Who knows, this could have been the designer’s way of compensating for the loss of a showstopper in actor Deepika Padukone, as had been doing the rounds in the past.

Theme, Collection and Design

What Ranna tries to achieve in her collection is the realisation in us that we have the potential to live our fantasies and dreams provided we recognise the magic residing within. Fusing fluorescent shades and pastels into a full-fledged collection can often be responded unkindly, and, can be a risky venture but Ranna Gill mixed the colours so beautifully that every garment of hers on the ramp bespoke the spirit of celebration and merriment. The first Eve to walk down the ramp was Lakshmi Rana whose outfit made clear what Mother Nature actually stands. Bathed in a splash of earthy colours, the flowy structure of the garment added a vibrant touch. Dressed in a kaftan with wide arms, thick visible borders all over down the naval, the tie and dye technique and application of geometric patterns on the fabrics complimented the theme well. As models Indrani Dasgupta, Hasleen Kaur, Pia Trivedi and others transmuted from lemony-orange gowns to tunics paired with bejewelled jackets and shorts, the onlookers lost count on the number of colours sticking to a single piece of clothing. Imprints of flora and fauna replicated on designs and accessories received thumbs up from an impressed audience and prospective buyer clientele.

Fabrics and Colours

Silk jerseys are something that Ranna Gill confirms has been her forte and strength across all her collections and designs. “Jersey is the USP of my ensemble range that gradually pops up in neon hues and vibrant colours. It is a potential trend that will attract more people to this mixed bag of textures, fabrics and colours,” says the designer. Silk georgettes and woven brocade are the preferred fabric Ranna has tried weaving her collection as a melange of exotic flora and fauna.

Detachable accessories

Pretty butterflies, owls and scorpions hanging as some kind of an artwork from the ornate neckpieces are another ‘wildlife’ experiment Ranna had a fun time conceptualising. Some of the tops resemble intricate origami work technique on them that credits the collection a meticulous sensibility and character. Sequined animals and birds embossed on crystal neckpieces and which appear to be part of the same garment but is removable, also, indicate another trendsetter in detachable embellishments.

Price bracket: INR 6,500 till/under INR 15, 000

Rating: 8/10

ipshita.mitra@indiatimes.co.in

Winning design student to create garden at five-star London Syon Park, A Waldorf Astoria Hotel

Details

Category: Hotel

Created on Tuesday, 09 October 2012 15:07

KLC School of Design and London Syon Park, A Waldorf Astoria Hotel  have teamed up to give the students the chance to create a new garden for the five star West London hotel. Looking to support budding UK talent as well as harness the creativity of the designers of tomorrow, London Syon Park, a Waldorf Astoria Hotel, will commission one winning design, from a selection put forward by KLC’s Diploma of Garden Design class of 2012.  

Students were briefed by KLC’s Garden Design Course Director, Annie Guilfoyle and General Manager of London Syon Park Dale MacPhee,  to communicate a design for a garden that will surround six large ‘reflecting pools’, existing in the hotel’s extensive grounds.

MacPhee asked that the students re-design the planted areas around six reflecting pools, consider the hotel’s historical setting within the 200 acre Syon Park estate and bring in elements of old and new.

They were briefed to create a strong story or concept which tied in with the edible aspects of the hotel’s herb and vegetable gardens and reflected the luxurious and contemporary context of the hotel, which opened in March 2011.

Students presented their designs on 1st October at London Syon Park, to a judging panel made up of Dale MacPhee, General Manager – London Syon Park, Annie Guilfoyle, Course Director – KLC and guest judges Charlotte Weychan, Blogger – The Galloping Gardener  and Nicholas Roeber, Buyer – The Garden Centre Group.

Students built upon the skills that they have learnt throughout the course of their Diploma in Garden Design with this high profile commercial project.

Many of the designs presented were inspired by the historical context of the site, with some referencing the discovery of a Roman settlement there in 2010 and others the Renaissance architecture of Syon House itself.  Creative aspects of the designs paid homage to the hotel’s inherent links with butterflies, its own edible garden and the proximity of the River Thames.

Practical aspects including budgeting, irrigation and plant choice were also considered.

Dale MacPhee, General Manager of London Syon Park noted ‘I am amazed with everything the students have shown me. Every one of the designs is fantastic and I congratulate them all.’
One winning design will be chosen by the panel, announced on 11th December and commissioned by London Syon Park in 2013.