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It’s that time of the year again when the Indian fashion industry comes together to host the most influential fashion week in the country. A host of new, emerging, and established talents will be brought to the fore by Lakmé Fashion Week in partnership with FDCI in 2023. With the spring-summer season in sight, you can expect a fun, fashionable take on clothes from March 9th to the 12th.
And with a similar ethos, designer Arpita Mehta will present a fun take on holiday wear at LFW x FDCI in Mumbai, to be presented on March 11, in collaboration with Dyson. The collection, which includes low-waisted pants, panelled capes, bralettes, kaftans, and fitted dresses, is a combination of floral and geometric prints in bright colours. Mehta is known for designing minimalist designs that celebrate traditional Indian embroidery. A combination of sequins, mirror drop tassel embroidery, mother-of-pearl beads, coral beads, and cowrie shells are used as embellishments.
In conjunction with Dyson, she's created a moodboard reflecting effortless hairstyles for the holiday season. This collaboration will also involve renowned hairstylist, Adhuna using Dyson hair care machines for the show.
We caught up with the talented designer before her spring-summer collection showcase to have a sneak peek of what it would entail:
1. What is the inspiration behind this new collection?
It's primarily a holiday line. The idea behind creating this line is to keep it effortless and easy breezy. The wardrobe is mainly about what a bunch of girlfriends would pack when going on a girls’ trip to a beautiful island somewhere in Europe.
2. When it comes to design elements, what can we see in this new collection?
See, the inspiration is not Europe. The kind of colours, the mood - it's just a thought process of being free, exploring yourself in an adventure, bringing your individuality out when you're on a holiday. So what you do see is obviously a colour palette, ranging from creams going into dust, pink sage, cream, pop colours, and eclectic colours like juicy mango, toasted orange and pie yellow. It’s a fun collection about the summers - you could be in Europe or Goa but the main focus remains on being out and expressing oneself.
Whenever we are doing any collection, we always introduce prints which are florals and geometric prints. However, for the very first time, we are incorporating sequin hand embroidery along with mirror work. That's something we've never done in the past and we are really excited to introduce it.
3. And how does Dyson fit into this collaboration?
Since the collection reflects a fun, easy breezy vibe just like what even Dyson's ethos is - being effortless. What we as a brand think and believe in is similar to theirs as well. Just like how our collection can be worn in various places, Dyson and its various hair tools are so easy to work with that you can use them in your day-to-day life.
4. What do you think would be the hottest styles to watch out for this season?
I think it would be a corset top in all shapes and forms, be it full sleeve, short sleeves, or sleeveless along with a draped skirt. I do feel it is a very body-enhancing silhouette; it accentuates the curves of our body and I think, it works on a lot of body types in India. So that's definitely a win-win outfit for this season.
5. Can you also share some styling tips for plus-sized women?
I think firstly, plus-sized women need to dress as per their body type and not follow the trends. Wear something that enhances the body - nice structured fabrics and cuts work well. That is something that they should definitely make note of. And apart from that, I think even Indian silhouettes and daily workwear look beautiful on plus-sized women.
6. Any designer you would love to switch places with?
I think Coco Chanel - just for the life she has lived and the way she has created a mammoth of a brand from the background that she has come from. I would love to live that life.
7. We'd also like to hear about the women who inspired you in your life.
I think in my formative years, in my childhood, I was very amused, inspired, entertained, whatever you call it by my sister - Macy and my grandmother. I think they had great style and introduced me to fashion. Their style, kind of, influenced the way I saw fashion and I learned about it. They've been someone who I look up to.
Photo: Instagram/Arpita Mehta