R|Elan Captivates Day 1 Of Lakmé Fashion Week 2018 With Anita Dongre’s Collection

Event & Conferences

R|Elan Captivates Day 1 Of Lakmé Fashion Week 2018 With Anita Dongre’s Collection

With the cool summer breeze wafting in the night, the picturesque starlit garden of the ITC Grand Central Hotel was turned into a wonderland of lights and greenery that was a perfect setting for the glamorous fashion and style experience. The four runways that went through the audience gave them an ethereal experience when R | Elan™ presented Anita Dongre’s enchanting bridal collection called “Songs of Summer” to end Day One at Lakmé Fashion Week Summer Resort 2018.

R | Elan™ A NEW AGE FABRIC REVOLUTION

Reliance Industries Ltd. (RIL) unveiled a new fabric brand R | Elan™ where innovation was at the core of warp and weft of R | Elan™ fabric, as a medley of first-of-its-kind design and craft collection from Anita Dongre, India’s couturier par excellence was conceptualized to envisage and demonstrate fabrics of the future. The outfits could therefore only be referred to as ‘Future Couture’.

R | Elan™ is an umbrella brand from the house of RIL, encompassing a range of new age fabrics. It is a perfect blend of art and smart, with fabrics providing enhanced aesthetics, performance and comfort. R | Elan™ is the Next Gen Fabric 2.0.

R | Elan™ fabrics are made from specially engineered fibres that provide perfect fusion of functionality and fashion. Two of these technologies – R | Elan™ GreenGold and R | Elan™ FreeFlow, were used for Anita Dongre’s exclusive collection at Lakmé Fashion Week-Summer Resort 2018.

R | Elan™ powered by FreeFlow promises greater fluidity, increased finesse, richer colours, and more control than ever on how the fabric performs, enabling designers to deliver not just collections but never-before-felt experiences of couture.

R | Elan™ powered by GreenGold is one of the most eco-friendly fabrics globally, with one of the lowest carbon footprints. Made from 100 per cent used plastic bottles, GreenGold furthers the sustainability story with a traceable manufacturing process that uses renewable energy.

While commenting on the response received to the R | Elan™ collection by Anita Dongre – Hemant Sharma, Polyester Sector Head, RIL said “It’s a remarkable work of design and art presented by Anita Dongre that elegantly brought out the high performance and aesthetic features of R | Elan™ FreeFlow and R | Elan™ GreenGold. We are overwhelmed by the enormous initial response that R | Elan™ has received at LFW”.

“At Reliance it is always been our endeavour to create products that most aptly fulfills the aspirations and needs of end users. R | Elan™ fabrics are outcome of our extensive efforts in understanding the tastes and preferences of the end users and blending those details with the advanced technologies”, he added.

While sharing her experience with R | Elan™ Anita Dongre said, “The time has come to test the traditional boundaries of styling from the very DNA of design to the wearer experience and to its ultimate impact on the planet. #FutureCouture is this arena where high fashion meets high function. With R | Elan™ I was able to enhance the aesthetics of the collection as well as amplify the larger benefits people would get from wearing it. The need of the hour is to make innovative and sustainable fabrics become mainstream.”

ANITA DONGRE’S ETHEREAL “SONGS OF SUMMER” COLLECTION

When it comes to ethereal bridal wear, Anita’s inspiration for her collection “Songs of Summer” was totally romantic. Anita visualised tall beautiful trees, flowers, butterflies, gently swaying branches and flitting fireflies as the enchanting wedding venue for her bride to take her vows at. To the lyrical music of the live band and multiple light beams, the show opened to a line-up of long skirts and blouses with bouquets of blossoms in prints and embroidery.

With such an exotic vision she created a luxurious line of bridal wear in a melody of gentle pastel hues like blush, sage, powder blue, yellow and of course pure white that were inspired by the beauty of the flowers in a summer garden. The most exquisite fine fabrics were contemporary with a traditional touch as modal, light weight specially hand woven silk and cotton in Banaras had a profusion of floral patterns.

Recreating the magic of the 50’s, Anita was inspired to unveil midi skirts, jumpsuits, cool wrap tops, elegant long line jackets, trendy tunics and stylish cropped tops. The embellishments were delicate handwork with dashes of zardosi and Gotta Patti, which is a favourite of Anita. The classic lehengas and the beautifully draped saris were all ideal options for the wedding trousseau.

Midi tunics, soft covers over tulle skirts, embellished long sheer coats with the ‘Tree of Life’ motifs and wrap-around blouses were visions of beauty. The lehengas featured Anita’s trademark pockets and the collection was utterly wearable and immensely saleable for brides and grooms who want to wear the most striking creations on the most important day of their lives. Men’s wear was elegant with kurtas, jackets, sherwanis and bundies with discreet embroidery.

The rich traditional Indian crafts that drenched the creations in their dazzling glory will surely make the blushing bride and her groom the cynosure of all eyes. Bringing the show to a crescendo were the glamorous show stoppers – Shahid Kapoor and Mira Rajput, who looked divine in Anita’s stunning bridal couture. Shahid wore a white, embroidered, regal sherwani, while Mira looked dazzling in a white lehenga with prints and Gotta Patti work, teamed with an ornate choli and dupatta.

Ideal for the summer wedding aimed at the bridal couple, the “Songs of Summer” collection by Anita Dongre presented by R | Elan™ will be their favourite lifelong fashionable symphony. To complement the intricate collection and the summer trend, Daniel Bauer, Lakmé Makeup Expert, gave the look a dewy finish using the Lakmé Absolute Nude Mousse, with soft pink-flushed cheeks. A side-swept textured low bun, natural brows and eyes, as well as tinted lips completed the chic look.