SALT BY RUCHI MEHTA
This diminutive powerhouse of a talent has retained her hallmark of feathery lightweight creations of silken textures suffused with powdery tones. In her second season, Mehta has again managed to design an impeccable everyday wear collection. Mild forest hues like rose, fern and olive accentuate the appealing simplicity of cowl dresses, flounced skirts and frock shaped jackets. The pompom scarves and hand painted legwarmers provide that extra lift.

RAVAGE BY RAJ SHROFF AND NEETU GUPTA
This artistic and adventurous pair has wowed us before with their intricate weave, appliqué and textural technique finesse. With this fashion week, they have honed this sensibility further by adopting deep fall hues to present an elegant series of seemingly mismatched silhouettes enhanced with capelets, stoles and stockings – a recreation of a scenic, urbane enchanted wood. Ravage’s custom of borrowing elements from Indian heritage to conceive collections to suit global palates has hit the right spot. Ideal for the thinking fashionista.

MANISH ARORA
The king of kitschy couture has left us spellbound again. We forgot about Fashion Week’s prêt and price points and mass production agenda and just revelled in this carnival of rainbow hues and ingenious embroidery patterns inspired by a spectrum of Samurai, baroque and Disney influences. Arora’s fantasy land collections often leave one twirling in a frenzy of want and with this Fall/Winter line of Mickey Mouse metallic tunics and lion or angel motif jackets, Manish is fashion’s golden boy once again. Get a hold of his multicoloured and metallic pumps somehow; they will be vintage treasures in years to come.

PRATAP BY RAJESH PRATAP SINGH
The undisputed king of this fashion season’s hierarchy. This master of form, structure and cut has raised the bar with a quietly dramatic black widow range of brilliantly sliced buttery leathers, slinky jodhpurs and exaggerated draped hoods. Splashes of burgundy, scarlet and fuchsia have livened up the fashionably sombre line as have the embossed florals that complement Pratap’s signature pleating to perfection. A winner all the way...

ASMITA MARWA
We couldn’t miss the Sabyasachi and Kabra influence even if we tried. Still, a commercially viable line for one’s first attempt. We have watched and appreciated Asmita’s personal style over the past few seasons while she has been a spectator at Lakmé Fashion Week; it’s unfortunate that the individual fashion ethos did not make it through to the ramp presentation. Maybe a dose of confidence from the undoubted success of the colourfully quilted mythological prints will ensure this transfer takes place next time around.