The Yin and Yang Effect

Designs by Payal Pratap (Express Photo By Amit Mehra)

The husband and wife duo of Rajesh Pratap Singh and Payal Pratap, who presented their Spring-Summer 2018 lines via two separate runway shows on Day Three of Amazon India Fashion Week (AIFW), may have had completely disparate design sensibilities, but their work was characterised by a singular vision.

Payal, who presented her collection, “Here Comes the Sun” earlier on Friday evening — gave her designs an earthy feel, with a liberal use of floral motifs in hues of warm yellow, muted blue, bright red and pink. The designs were fluid, the silhouettes breezy and the overall effect pleasing. Payal’s interplay of using embroidery — albeit minimal — on checks, linear patterns and prints was very effective.

And while this summer edition of AIFW has been heavy on the use of floral prints and motifs, Payal’s version of botanical prints was very constrained. Long jackets, trench coats paired with ankle length maxi dresses and flared pants paired with shorter numbers met off-shoulder dresses, halter numbers and gathered dresses with ruched up asymmetrical hemlines. The shoulder-length crystal tear drop earrings added an extra zing to the ensembles. Perfect for those long Sunday brunches next season.

While wife Payal ran the gamut of colours, husband Rajesh, stuck to the stark ends of the colour spectrum and presented his collection for both men and women in shades of black and white. Rajesh’s designs were very structured, and the lines sharply defined. A jacket with structured shoulders was paired with pants with extra flare.

There was ample use of graphic imagery, stripes, polka dots and abstract prints. Pop culture icons David Bowie and Jimi Hendrix were seen emblazoned across outfits. Womenswear comprised fit and flare dresses, fitted jackets juxtaposed with voluminous skirts, along with pants and stand-alone jackets. Actor Abhay Deol, who was the showstopper for Rajesh, wore flared atheleisure pants, paired with a double-breast blazer. The collection was very edgy and contemporary, befitting the final show of the day.