WIFW grand finale - a tale of simplicity, sophistication

New Delhi, March 29 (IANS) Media shy Rajesh Pratap Singh presented the grand finale of the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week Sunday, letting his clothes take centrestage and not celebrities because he feels real fashion is about beautiful clothes.

'I wanted my clothes to do all the talking... They were very basic clothes,' Pratap told reporters after the show.

Usually, the background of any grand finale show is extravagant and lavish, but this time it was very simple with swathes of muslin covering the whole backdrop.

The theme of the show was 'Bespoke Tales', and the designer had expressed the progression of the fine art of fashion of making clothes as seen by tailors.

Talking about his theme, the designer said: 'Well frankly speaking, a theme or an inspiration for your collection is a marketing gimmick. At the end of the day I am a tailor and my work is to make clothes.'

The line had an interesting mix of black and white combinations, then black and navy blue and in the end black and red.

In true Pratap style, the silhouettes were simple and 80 percent were hand woven. The clothes were double sided or reversible which meant they could be worn both ways.

'The line is very subtle and very wearable as well. We have used a lot of in-house technologies for the line,' said the designer who first launched his line in 1997.

The range had an interesting mix of trench coats, skirts, slim-fit trousers, sequined dresses and tops, a lot of layering and was at par with international standards.

Surprisingly, the grand finale show wasn't significantly delayed unlike previous editions - thanks to the designer - who didn't spend much time talking about the sets and let his clothes do all the talking.

Though the grand finale marks the end of fashion week, the first day of the five-day fashion fete was cancelled because the organiser Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI), had failed to get the permit from the fire department of the city.

All the shows cancelled that day (last week Wednesday) will be accommodated Monday, labelled Grand Fashion Day.