Amid the resplendence of the House of Lakme, this season’s Fashion Week culminated with a showcase that drew all eyes to a confluence of style, artistry, and cinematic charm. The grand finale, a glittering affair in partnership with the Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI), was nothing short of spectacular as it beheld the debut of acclaimed designer Rahul Mishra’s Fall-Winter 2024 collection under his global luxury ready-to-wear label AFEW in India. Star power graced the runway, as Bollywood actress Ananya Panday, in a breathtaking role reversal from audience to muse, turned showstopper for the much-anticipated collection.
Embodying grace and power, Ananya Panday made a stunning appearance that captivated the attendees. Clad in a striking black strapless ensemble paired with audacious thigh-high leather boots, she commanded the runway. Complementing the bold outfit, her sleek ponytail and intense smokey-eye makeup encapsulated the essence of the luxurious collection, exuding an air of confidence and cutting-edge fashion. Her stylish strut under the flash of cameras and spotlight underscored her second rendezvous with Rahul Mishra, recalling her previous stint as his muse at Paris Haute Couture Week in January 2024.
The onlookers were enraptured as Ananya’s poise and allure shone through, an Instagram glimpse of which is available for all to admire via a video post by Lakmē Fashion Week. This snippet into the glamorous event has since captured the imagination of fashion enthusiasts and fans alike, portraying a chapter where fashion intersects with fine art.
Rahul Mishra, a designer revered for his intricate craftsmanship and innovative design philosophy, delves into the bounties of nature as a perpetual source of inspiration for his latest collection. Channeling the perspective of a sculptor, Mishra interprets nature’s effortless artistry through fashion. His artful creations emerge in bold, exuberant colors and striking graphic textures which evoke the fluidity and form of organic structures, marrying the rigorous with the botanical in a symphony of vegetal and animal motifs.
An endearing nod to the whimsical influence of his eight-year-old daughter’s imagination, ‘The Fox and the Star’ — a cherished children’s tale — whimsically finds its way into the motifs and narrative woven into the fabric of this collection. These tales enliven the robes and raiment with characters that leap out into reality from the realms of the imagined, fusing innocence with sophistication.
Further abstracting the elemental, the collection ambitiously embraces geometric forms, illustrating the interplay between the raw strength of stone and the transformative power of sculpture. Each piece stands as a testament to the philosophy that sees fashion as a canvas for storytelling, layering, and the eternal dance between the artificial and the natural.
Ananya Panday, on the fronts beyond fashion runways, continues to burgeon in her cinematic journey. Following her role in ‘Kho Gaye Hum Kahan’ alongside Adarsh Gourav and Siddhant Chaturvedi, she eagerly prepares for upcoming ventures including ‘Control’ and the introspective ‘The Untold Story of C Sankaran Nair.’
Expanding her creative footprint into the digital domain, Panday is set to captivate audiences in ‘Call Me Bae,’ where she dons the mantle of a fashion expert thrust into a journey of self-discovery and ethos-defying ventures. The series, conceived by Ishita Moitra and co-written with Samina Motlekar and Rohit Nair, promises a narrative layered with cultural discourse and aesthetic exploration, under the directorial vision of Collin D’Cunha. With the backing of cinematic heavyweights Karan Johar, Apoorva Mehta, and Somen Mishra, the project harbors high expectations.
Concurrently, whispers of a silver-screen collaboration with Akshay Kumar have set the grapevine buzzing, hinting at a forthcoming film speculated to be titled ‘Shankara.’ Fans and industry insiders alike await with bated breath for the official word that will confirm the conjecture surrounding this exciting pairing.
As the paramours of fashion and film alike reflect on the splendor of the Lakme Fashion Week grand finale, Ananya Panday’s position as a vanguard of style and cinematic talent remains brilliantly illuminated, her future endeavors as eagerly anticipated as the trail-blazing collections that grace the ramps of haute couture.
