Anju Modi has proven her talents with fabrics and designs before – her Drapaudi collection was fabulously elegant with touches of modernity. This year, her Lakme Fashion Week debut on the last day of the show was nothing short of stunning.
The “Seeking Paradise” collection featured shimmery pastels, draping silhouettes, and nature-inspired embroidery and designs. Her artistic flair for elegance definitely shined through, whether the outfit was a ball gown or a gorgeous choli.
The references to fantasy elements are numerous: flowers, dreamy colors like silver and light blue, asymetrical hemlines, and majestic flairs. Combining these graceful features together creates Modi’s utopian paradise, a modern day “Eastern” Garden of Eden.
This embellished choli-blouse combo is exotic, even without the wild “birds of paradise” makeup. The light blue is highlighted perfectly by the deep red embroidery – and the reference to nature is maintained throughout with delicate embroidery and patterns of leaves and flowers.
The contrast continues with a masculine jacket paired with a long, flowing skirt. I love the gold shimmering in between the sea of blue pleats!
I love the ombre and pleats on this gorgeous red skirt! While the ombre is a pretty modern fashion choice, the gold embroidery at the bottom of the skirt is traditional Eastern floral patterns. But the outfit goes above and beyond the East-West divide by tossing in some oriental elements as well. The tight blouse has Chinese floral patterns featured on it, and the Mandarin collar is a great accent.
Even the menswear is dreamy-chic! I love the kurta-jacket that Anju Modi has created here – it’s another example of how seamlessly she blends together Eastern and Western elements. The color is a pretty light sky-blue, which goes with her entire paradise concept, and the subtle architectural patterns on the kurta add another element of style.
There’s a lot going on in this lehenga, which is why I wish I could wear it at my next fancy-dress event. The color palette of bright pastels is gorgeous – I love the pink silk, purple tulle, and yellow fabric layered on top of one another.
The pink-and-purple combo in the skirt is amazing and dreamy, completed by gold paisleys and shimmery polka-dot borders. The yellow blouse has a really unique cut, and the red accents add even more splashes of bright color to the outfit.
I’m also a huge fan of this dual-layered choli with its array of layered patterns. The bottom layer of intricate designs is covered by a sheer, floaty and fitted skirt of blue. Red embroidery makes the outfit striking and not just a pale dream – it’s used in both the skirt’s designs and down the front of the fitted blouse.
Showstopper Malaika Arora Khan looks fabulous in this blue and grey ball gown. The modest collar suits the outfit well since it has such bold and large patterns. We see more of the floral element here – both with the blue flowers and the sweeping silver beading that resembles a collection of leaves. She embodies the whole “soft, pale dream in paradise” look that Anju Modi was going for.
Overall, Anju Modi has amazed her audience once again, with her ability to blend together elements from across the world and even across mythical worlds! I love the Garden of Paradise theme, and her use of pale colors with subtle, yet striking designs definitely gets the image across.
