Lakme India Fashion Week 2003 :: Krishna Mehta

The Flower Child!
Krishna Mehta’s spring summer collection is a throwback to the ‘70s flower power days.Mehta is totally into pret these days, a market she says, "is opening up".

That’s why her spring summer collection has clothes priced anywhere between Rs 1800 to Rs 8000. What marks her collection is the simplicity of cuts, the textures in her garments and the clean lines. "Even this collection of mine focuses on fusion. I think fusion is here to stay."

Khadi In Vogue ??
What also marks her spring summer collection is the use of silver ‘khadi’ thread, stencil work, woven textures, block prints and even ikat, fabrics and textiles she has never used before.

Mehta began as a designer of male ensembles and has shifted to women clothes only over the last five years. Her spring summer 2001 collection for women is all about vibrant colours: yellow, blues, gorgeous pinks, mauves and lime green.

It’s a return to the 70s flower child. The rust crepe kurtas have blue hand printed flowers as the major motif. The lime green kurtas, on the other hand, have dark green leaf-stencil prints.

Most kurtas are teamed with palazzos or pants, and very few have churidaar bottoms. Interestingly, these pants have slits that run right up to the knee and are created out of transparent fabric like chiffon. The dupattas are made of mulmul cloth and are multi-coloured.

There is also an all-white line in Khadi, with silver embroidery over it. The prints on these kurtas are the kinds you see on Benarasi saris are created using blocks that have been specially made for her.

She also has a line of off-shoulder and halter neck blouses in fun colours like lime green and blue and peaches. All for the hot summer ahead!

For The Men:
Unfortunately, for the men, there isn’t too much choice. The range is the same: a few sherwanis, a few kurtas, a few jackets and some jodhpuris. "You can’t experiment too much with men fashion. You have to play around in the same style parameters."

What perhaps sets her collection apart is that instead of whites and creams, she offers sherwarnis in different shades of blues, greens, rust, olive and steel grey.

Krishna has used diverse fabrics like linen, mulmul and silk for the men line. There is very little embroidery, but lot of pin tucks and pleats.

Bombay
80-E Napean Sea Road
Hunvant Bhuvan
Mumbai - 400 006
Tel : (022) 3695313/367 4531

Delhi
Ambawata Complex
2nd Floor Ward I
1091/ Mehrauli
Delhi.

E-mail: krishna_mehta