Karishma Shahani's Jama Dress as seen on Vogue.in

Neckpiece is also Karishma Shahani and those gorgeous orange platforms shoes are from FabAlley.com. More on FabAlley soon! :)

I met Karishma Shahani at Lakme Fashion Week last season. A mutual designer friend introduced us and we all decided on dinner in Bandra. My first impression of her, as I recall now, was awe as she adeptly navigated her beast of an SUV* through the crowded Bombay streets. All the while juggling her GPS and a car full of well..monkeys**, nonetheless.And yes, she's an out-of-towner too (her studio is in Pune) but we got to Out Of The Blue, happy and easy. Needless to say, I was beyond impressed. This woman was way cool. I was going to like her. A lot. But it wasn't until I met her work that I was really in love.
I'm in a Jama dress in the pictures above from her graduate collection called Yatra*** at from her London College of Fashion days. If you ask me, Karishma's label is in one word - imaginative, in a way that contradicts the conventions of how we've seen a particular textile or jacket been worn so far. To say its multi-cultural and diverse in its materials and techniques, is the least.  
But the thing that grabs me most about Karishma's work is her detailed surface treatments. An unsuspecting, everyday textile ( a naive cotton or linen) meets an exquisite Indian craft - be it a different dye, a wondrous weave or an atypical stitch to become a modern, experimental garment thats is a delight to wear. She gives a whole new meaning to touching and feeling your way around a designer's collection. And by doing so she is also promoting dying Indian crafts, you see, ultimately impacting artisans' livelihoods. I feel like such a do-gooder in her garments, it helps :)
* I don't drive, never even mind attempting to take control of an SUV in a new city. Come on! Compliments ensued.**Lets just say a happy evening was spent in the sponsor's lounge at the Grand Hyatt and to say we were all in 'high spirits' is saying too little.***Yatra India: The land of dreams and romance, of fabulous wealth and stark scarcity, of splendour and rags, of palaces and hovels, of famine and pestilence, of genie and giants, tigers and elephants, the city, the jungle, of a thousand religions and two million gods, the epitome of legends and traditions.The collection draws inspiration and elements from the multiple layers of indias vibrant culture that continuously creates colourful, vivid and eclectic experiences for the onlooker. The colours are picked from traditional painting of Indian Gods, and recreated through natural methods of dyeing. In its essence this collection is a reflection of the Indian lifestyle of re-interpretation of materials and their function at every step, always re-using and recycling, creating heirlooms that are passed down through generations. 
Each garment is made with beauty, simplicity and versatility its core which lends it a multi layered and personality driven charm. The designs combine a fusion of two extremes, making the collection experimental and unconventional, while being hinged on modern functionality. This collection gives us a peek in the incredible 'Atulya' Indian Experience.