Lakmé Fashion Week 2024: Two designers, two fashion POVs

On the surface, Tarun Tahiliani and Rohit Bal couldn’t be more different, yet both have shaped Indian fashion on their own terms. With well-established legacies, each presented a distinct sartorial language at Lakmé Fashion Week x FDCI

With Tarun Tahiliani closing the 9pm slot with his ready-to-wear brand OTT, just a day before Rohit Bal’s House of Lakmé grand finale, the scene was primed at the recently concluded Lakmé Fashion Week x FDCI in New Delhi.

Though Tarun Tahiliani, 62, and Rohit Bal, 63, may appear worlds apart in their design aesthetics—each a fantasist in his own way—they share a defining trait: their brands are cornerstones of Indian fashion. 

Their paths first crossed long before they entered the industry, when they shared a bus to St Stephen’s College in New Delhi. Nearly four decades ago, with the encouragement of the late Rohit Khosla, they began their careers. Rising to prominence in a post-independence, socialist India, both drew inspiration from a society poised for change—an era of optimism, youthful idealism, and a search for identity.

Model Sheetal Mallar in a Rohit Bal ecru pleated gown paired with a long jacket; (right) Models Sheetal Mallar and Lalit Tehlan at Rohit Bal grand finale show

While many in the fashion press have often cast them as rivals, Tahiliani and Bal have been behind some of the most inspiring shows, clothes, soundtracks, ideas, and imagery of the past few decades. Dressmaking has been their medium, but their influence has opened up other worlds. Together, they embody the old guard, still shifting fashion in new directions. 

I felt India was becoming polarising—everyone’s either thrilled to wear Western clothes or dressed in some form of costume, whether for a wedding or Bollywood.” Tarun Tahiliani was in a reflective mood before the debut of OTT, his luxury ready-to-wear brand, last week. “Why not move away from these extremes and embrace a modern Indian style?”

In an era where the past often gets drowned out by the noise of digital culture, one might expect it to pose a challenge for someone like Tahiliani, who doesn’t have a personal Instagram account and draws endless inspiration from India’s past. Yet, he remains pragmatic about fashion as a rapidly-evolving business, one that requires a shift in long-standing industry mindsets, particularly in India. “A few years ago, I started ignoring the external opinions on bridal couture, which were all about the “red” [lehenga] moment or this trend or that. I just said, ‘I can’t do it.’ So, we began focusing on beiges, ivories and the colours that worked for our brand,” he says.  

Tarun Tahiliani introduced a select range of accessories, including bags and footwear, as part of his OTT label

The same sense of defiance seemed evident in OTT. This isn’t Tahiliani’s first dance with ready-to-wear—he’s explored it in subtle yet notable ways over the years. From the Milan show in 2002, where he showcased gauzy lehengas paired with anklets, to the vibrant crinkled fabrics of the Kumbh collection, 2013, and the 2016 Kutch presentation. “These are collections I love, but they were either ahead of their time or eclipsed by heavier bridal pieces. Even though we tried to highlight them separately, merchandising often added 10 anarkalis at the end, which left people confused about the overall message.”

With the standalone OTT show, the message was crystal clear. This 50-plus piece showcase marked a shift from the couture-driven take on “India Modern”, opting instead for a more inclusive, accessible approach of dressing. “Surprising, or maybe not, I trust my instincts. Couture has taken a backseat; it’s almost like it’s shot through the roof. What I feel resonates with a lot of women is different for each group. Ultimately, you have to listen to your own voice, and what feels right at the moment,” he explains.

The result was a confident collection—clear in its TT handwriting, restrained in its palette, and refreshingly broad in its appeal.

Actor Aditi Rao Hydari closed Tarun Tahiliani’s OTT showcase

The name “OTT” almost didn’t happen as it is. Tahiliani originally wanted to call it simply “TT”—but an underwear brand with the same name raised an objection when they tried to register it. “So, I thought, why not add an ‘O’? My team kept saying, ‘This brand is anything but OTT.’ I told them, ‘That’s exactly the point. It’s the perfect twist on it because of what it is.’”

The overall gestalt was about dressing an intelligent woman who values what she does over the brand she wears—and who recognises the difference. With tailoring as sharp and assertive as a well-placed exclamation point, OTT offered versions of archival TT dhoti drapes and gilets, with his own spin on trench coat and a select range of accessories.

Yet, beneath the confident surface, there was a restraint that ran through the show, evident even in the final look worn by actor Aditi Rao Hydari—an indigo-hued crinkled wrap dress paired with a harness. It felt as though Tahiliani was holding fire, poised and plotting his next statement.

Tarun Tahiliani updated the utilitarian trench coat with a twist, part of his OTT label

AT  9.30 pm last Sunday, as the highly anticipated Rohit Bal finale for the House of Lakmé, titled Kaaynaat, was about to begin, over 50 models stood ready backstage. A sudden burst of applause rang out from behind the scenes, reverberating into the October sky above the Imperial Hotel. The sound reached the audience seated outside, signalling the start of a show that would be remembered long after the final curtain call.

Fashion is often pegged as the ultimate symbol of change, but in truth, it’s often a study of repetition. Since the very first runway show, formats have followed a familiar rhythm: starting with more retrained pieces that hint at the designer’s mood board, only to crescendo into the most fantastic—often expensive—conclusions that fully showcase their vision.

Then came Bal, light on his feet, with the kind of gay abandon that upended the conventional flow. He injected emotion into the auto-narrative, giving us some of the most magical shows of his career, something that feels rare in today’s fast-paced, wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am showcases.

Famously known for watching his shows from the sidelines before taking a bow, Bal didn’t let his ailing health upset that tradition. As Deep in Vogue by Malcolm McLaren and Bootzilla Orchestra played, the first look emerged: a male model in a long velvet cape, its shoulders draped in foliage zardozi and his head crowned with a Kashmiri topi. For this writer, the show truly began when supermodel Sheetal Mallar stepped out in an ecru gown and jacket. It instantly called to mind Bal’s 1995 collection, where Mallar was draped in a crinkled ecru ensemble.

Kaaynaat was not just a grand finale—it was a masterclass in how heritage brands can honour its traditions while adapting to modern sensibilities. The show continued Bal’s long-standing engagement with the political dimensions of identity expressed through dress, particularly in his repeated examination of the skirt—a symbol of power and femininity, well before the rise of gender neutral fashion.

And it was all there on the runway, in the velvet and zardozi, where sleek, straight-line silhouettes moved from quiet mulmul close-pleated skirts and gowns to the opulent crinoline lehengas—undulating beguilingly over the hips, their zardozi blooms flattering the body like a gilt frame around a painting.

Bal took a post-bow alongside Mallar, showstopper Ananya Pandey (the face of Lakmé x Rohit Bal Bloom beauty range), and long-time friend Lalit Tehlan. Fashion’s protean talent, Gudda, danced lightly to INXS’s Afterglow, a fitting salute to Bal’s three-decade-long journey.

Also Read: Dil-Luminati Tour: Raghavendra Rathore to style Diljit Dosanjh for European leg

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