It showed at the recently concluded AIFW, where 115 designers participated, and a considerable number of them had traditional weave as the core, even if the designs were modern. Thus Garg’s Mashru collection was replete with straight kurtas and lehengas that ended at the knee, “a treat for the working Indian woman”. Anamika Khanna too celebrated ‘Indianness in fashion’, her ready-to-wear collection pairing sari drapes with crisp cotton shirts and silk kurtas with striped track pants. Samant Chauhan, who is known for revolutionising Bhagalpuri silk, went Victorian with Indian embroidery on stiff draped, flared dresses. Rina Singh of Eka welcomed the Indian summer and used hand-woven cotton for loose-fitted, clean-cut dresses. Anavila Misra brought back zari on her lightweight, knitted linen saris, kurtas and maxi dresses. Even the fresh faces—showcased in ‘The First Cut’—kept up with the trend. Sonali Pamnani worked with Ikat for her entire collection, Shreya Oza used only natural dye and all six brought an inherent Indian quality to their line of fuss-free clothing.