There was unbridled excitement about Shruti Sancheti Winter Festive '15 at Lakme Fashion Week. The designer always endeavours to uplift the nation's textile heritage; this season, as a part of 'Reinvent Banaras' announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, she employed Banarasi weaves to craft silhouettes that find favour worldwide.

The collection was almost a stream of consciousness. From start to finish, the designer stayed true to her focused vision of making heritage weaves desireable to a global audience and to the seasonal theme 'Kaashi To Kyoto'. As Mumbai's social and celebrity set took a seat, models emerged in crop tops, sheer maxi coats, palazzos, capes and wide pleated pants cut from brocades, gicha silk, sheer Bengal Dupion, cotton silk and chanderi. It was a powerful melting pot of Japanese and Indian influence, as exemplified by robes and kimono-style belted blouses worn with skirts. The motifs, handworked in silver, yellow gold and rose gold threads, were reminiscent of Kyoto i.e. maple leaves, birds and flora while surface ornamentation, evocative of Japanese boro embroideries, was rendered in gold printing. Elsewhere, Shruti proved her aesthetic works equally well for festive nights as ghagras with dori embroidery met with approval by editors and buyers who applauded each look.

Overall, this collection is ideal for the modern Indian woman who is proud to wear her identity yet be on-trend anyplace in the globe. And, it is remarkably accessible. There were any number of pieces that could have stepped off the catwalk and onto the steamy asphalt of the street outside, which also meant that, once again, her collection would yield dividends!!

— JASMEEN DUGAL