Bling it on

Although cocktail dresses are a trend these days,the designers feel Mumbai is still the perfect market for these glamourous garments and there is still a lot of scope for them. “The people here are chic and understated,just like our designs. Our collection this time is made from hand-woven fabrics with a lot of fluid drapes and pop colours like bright yellow and ice green with ombre effect,” says Nikhil. Shantanu adds,

“Mumbai is a city that never sleeps. So it is fun to create pieces for women here who love to experiment with different kinds of drapes.”

Shantanu and Nikhil,known for their contemporary designing,first dove into fashion,with their men’s couture line in 1999,and then followed it up with diffusion and couture line for women. “But we enjoy designing for both. It gives us a chance to experiment with a lot more styles,” says Shantanu.

However,what they are most excited about currently,is the ensemble they have created for groom-to-be Raj Kundra for his reception day. “Raj is a very classy and sophisticated man. Hence,to fit his personality,we have created a contemporary short black sherwani with a lot of vintage appliqué on it. There is a bit of bling on it too,” confirms Nikhil.

With ten years in the fashion fraternity,a clash of interests between a designer duo is bound to crop up,but Shatanu and Nikhil are an exception to the rule. “Shantanu is good with the technical know-how,while I make sure the designs are created on time,” says Nikhil.

After their cocktail line launch at Samsaara today,it is their new store at Palladium that they are looking forward to. “This will be our second standalone store in Mumbai,post which we will open stores in Ludhiana and Hyderabad,” says Shantanu.