If you have missed your front row seat experience at FDCI X Lakme Fashion Week, India’s first virtual phygital fashion week, fret not. With ‘digital’ becoming the new buzzword post pandemic, fashion shows around the world have reinvented the traditional runways to make way for virtual runways and shows, abuzz with all the fashion week extravaganza, and live-streamed on multiple platforms.
Keeping up with the digital makeovers of international fashion shows– London, Milan, New York and Paris— India, too, took the leap with the first-ever phygital fashion show put together by two industry giants—the Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI) and Lakme Fashion Week (LFW).
Bringing together collections from emerging and eminent designers, the phygital event was a blockbuster event. What upped the glam quotient was the illustrious list of celebrity showstoppers who graced the runway wearing whimsical lehengas to structured jackets and handcrafted sarees.
Scroll below for all the show-stopping moments from FDCI x LFW.
1. Milind Soman and his wife Ankita Konwar starred in People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India’s vegan fashion lookbook, curated from various brands. Vocal ambassadors of PETA India, Soman and Konwar talked about how compassion will never go out of fashion and were spotted donning eight stylish outfits throughout the film.
2. Athiya Shetty brings a laidback, easygoing charm to the runway wearing Payal Singhal's lehenga-choli and bomber jacket combo. The Indian wear meets loungewear collection ‘Kismet’ featured an interesting combination of hybrid styles in fun sorbet hues and signature PS prints.
3. Kiara Advani and Kartik Aaryan sparkled in Manish Malhotra’s new collection 'Nooraniyant' that took opulence and glamour up a notch with classic to new-age ensembles. Kiara nailed the gorgeous Manish Malhotra muse in a shimmery silver lehenga while Kartik made a dapper statement in a black indo-western bandhgala.
4. Dia Mirza walked in support of ‘The Fusion Edit’ by Taneira Sarees comprising of 12 handcrafted sarees and three handwoven lehengas inspired by the rich and dense vegetation of the tundra regions and made using a variety of crafts from across India. The UN Environment Goodwill Ambassador and environment activist closed the show wearing a beautiful red Banarasi kadwa saree in ghicha yarn and patchwork blouse with miniature farad prints from Bagru, Rajasthan, and Ajrakh print from Gujarat.
5. Lara Dutta, an actor and entrepreneur, made a stunning statement wearing a white and gold mekhela chador for Sanjukta Dutta’s ‘Shukoolaa’, a collection of traditional Assamese mekhela chadors, lehengas, skirts, crop tops and gowns.
6. Aahana Kumra made a show-stopping entry for Gazal Mishra who gave the fashion frat a glimpse of Uzbekistan’s rich foliage through this collection called ‘Uzbek Vintage’. “What I love about her collection, Uzbek Vintage, is that it’s so sustainable, comfortable yet stylish at the same time. This outfit that I’m wearing right now is probably one of the most comfortable outfits I have ever worn and I absolutely love how versatile it is. I can wear it for any occasion from a brunch to a meeting,” the 36-year-old tells us, pointing to her full-flared long kurta with ornate detailing on the front and back. Aahana’s look was completed with a maxi skirt and a matching dupatta. What’s notable is that this is the second time Aahana walked the ramp for Gazal.
7. Divya Khosla Kumar, a popular Bollywood actor and producer, walked for Shaveta and Anuj Choudhary’s ‘Qaib’ designed for autumn/winter 2021. She wore a deep gold lehenga with a matching choli and dupatta.
8. Pooja Hedge walked the ramp for Varun Chakkilam’s ‘Art Nouveau’ line for spring/summer 2021 in an embellished and embroidered white lehenga with a matching choli and dupatta. Inspired by the 18th century art movement, his collection has gowns, pre-stitched sarees, embroidered kurta, ruffled dupattas and kurtis over draped lungis for women along with sherwani, button-less bandhgala, and jackets for men.
9. Hina Khan in a stunning silk and velvet lehenga proved to be the perfect showstopper for Tatwamm by Abhishek and Vinita’s. Described as a ‘symphony of weaves’ by the designers, the ‘Rajwadi’ collection paid an ode to textiles such as Kanchipuram, Pochampalli and Bandhani which were further accentuated with zardosi embroidery from Bengal.
10. Ananya Panday stepped as the grand finale showstopper for Lakme Absolute Grand Finale designer Ruchika Sachdeva’s contemporary ready-to-wear label Bodice Studio. Sporting a vibrant pleated midi skirt with a poet-sleeved crop top, Ananya played the perfect choice for Sachdeva’s ‘Ready Set Play’ collection.