The wedding and summer seasons are here and the transition in style has led to a host of new launches. From Anjul Bhandari’s Gulah-e-Rang bespoke couture collection to Lovebirds summer range that evokes nostalgia, here are the hottest designer fashion drops in the past month.
1. Silver Jewellery by Payal Singhal x Sangeeta Boochra
Fashion designer Payal Singhal, popular for merging loungewear with Indianwear in the past few seasons, has brought her chic and playful design excellence to a capsule line of contemporary silver jewellery. The collection is launched in collaboration with jewellery designer Sangeeta Boochra, who is known for using silver to make over-the-top, Rajasthan-inspired earrings, necklaces, rings, and bejewelled headbands.
2. Gulah-e-Rang by Anjul Bhandari
Master couturier Anjul Bhandari, to mark 35 years of Ensemble India, has unveiled her spring-summer collection for 2022, and it is titled ‘Gulah-e-Rang’, which means ‘colours in a bouquet’. This bespoke couture collection aims to please millennial brides and for the same, it not only includes handcrafted lehengas, gararas and sarees, but also millennials’ and Gen Z’s favourite bustiers, capes, and pants—enhanced with traditional techniques of chikankari and kamdani and embellished with Swarovski crystals.
3. Gulaal: Shade of Love by Jade by Monica and Karishma
Jade by Monica and Karishma, the Mumbai-headquartered designer label that specialises in bridalwear, celebrates summer festive with ‘Gulaal: Shade of Love’—a range of pret and occasion wear for men and women. This new ensemble assortment by the well-known designer duo embodies the many shades of summer and aims to evoke feelings of joy and togetherness. Apart from the hues, the highlights of this latest offering by Jade are signature crafts like kasab, ek taar, and macrame.
4. Lakshmi by Punit Balana
Luxury pret label Punit Balana’s latest spring-summer collection is called Lakshmi. It combines traditional and detailed craftmanship inspired by local art forms of Rajasthan with contemporary aesthetics. Expect bold motifs in natural vegetable dyes with kalamkari and ajrak on luscious chanderi silk fabrics. Lakshmi by Punit Balana was first showcased at the recent FDCI x Lakme Fashion Week, and Bollywood actor Janhvi Kapoor was the showstopper for the label.
5. Pie in the Sky by Saundh
Another label that combines India’s legacy of rich textile heritage with contemporary silhouttes, Saundh’s latest Pie in the Sky collection seems like the perfect choice for modern women for the summer-festive season. It offers kaftans, garara sets, lehengas, and indo-fusion sets featuring vibrant floral prints, light fabrics, and flowy silhouettes.
6. Saanjh by SVA Couture - Sonam and Paras Modi
Inspired by the sunsets in Sri Lanka, designer duo Sonam and Paras Modi’s spring-summer collection comprises tunic, crop tops, drape skirts, pairs of pants, co-ord sets, kaftans, and lehenga-choli sets for women. For men, they have interesting options—perfect for summer festivities—including blazer with shorts, printed kurtas, reversible bundis, and pants. These ensembles are available in hues inspired by the sunset—violet, yellow, orange, red, and purple.
7. Lovebirds
Husband-wife designer duo Gursi Singh and Amrita Khanna recently launched their brand Lovebirds’ flagship store in Mumbai at the Wesley Church in Colaba. It was marked with a photo essay by photographer Ashish Shah and creative director Kshitij Kankaria—that celebrated companionship and togetherness—and the launch of their spring-summer collection. “It is inspired by the memories of a quintessential summer, lazing around under the shade of trees, admiring the beautiful bougainvillaea while sipping on a cooling drink, the cotton candy-like clouds, and so on,” the duo tells us. “It is also about self-love and self-realisation in sync with the photo essay, which is based on the same lines,” they add.
8. Summer Edit by Forest of Chintz
Homegrown label Forest of Chintz by Sumangali Gada and Nitai Mehta recently launched their summer edit, which consists of unique statement accessories and bags for women that are fit for your holiday wardrobe. Think earrings, necklaces, bracelets, scarves, and bags that draw inspiration from contemporary art and elements of a forest.