Hyundai India Couture Week kickstarts with glitter and glam

The Capital city was shrouded in a thick grey blanket of rain clouds; monsoon beckons, but so does couture season with it. And as tradition (or protocol, if you may) has it, the downpour didn't rain on Delhi's fashion parade for those in attendance at this annual culmination of couture. The 18th edition of Hyundai India Couture Week, in association with Reliance Brands and an initiative of FDCI, welcomed the best in fashion from India's most promising fashion designers. This year, the stars aligned for enthusiasts, friends and connoisseurs of master couturier, Rahul Mishra, to witness his art in motion, as expected for the opening night of the week. The designer showcased his collection, Becoming Love, which previously debuted at the Paris Couture Week 2025 earlier this year. 

The theme encompassed the seven stages of love articulated in Sufism; the evolution from attraction and infatuation, gradually moving towards surrender, reverence, devotion, obsession and finally, death. The show saw a mix of silhouettes that were either structured in shimmer or were stepped out of a floral fantasy. Scenes are drawn from the intricate language of Muhal miniature paintings and Krishna's raas on one side and Claude Monet and Gustav Klimt's ornamentation on the other. Rivaah by Tanishq's jewellery perfectly added a touch of glint to the show. The star of this cosmos was Tamannaah Bhatia's presence that night. In an unconventional first, the designer presented not one but two creations on the showstopper. She walked the ramp, first in a form-grazing gown with his signature 3D floral applique work and then ended the night with a floral lehenga, yet another signature of the Indian couture maestro. 

There's something truly enchanting about the romance of lace on the feminine form. ROSEROOM by Isha Jajodia led the second day's showcase with a display of her signature lacework gowns and lehengas to perfectly exemplify this thought. Her collection, Whispers Of Love To Myself, was an ode to oneself through a woman's different stages of evolution. Each creation boasted delicate pastel lace in avant-garde forms on one side and jewel-toned creations added a pop of colour on the other, depicting the different phases of the theme. With flying kisses and her elegant charm, the beautiful showstopper of the night, Tara Sutaria, in an equally beautiful lace lehenga, made with chantilly lace, tulle and organza, paired with a bejewelled 18K gold-plated corset, closed the show. 

The night ended with Suneet Varma's flamboyance embodied in his sequinned Indian couture pieces from his collection, Sehr. Drawing inspiration from the mysteries of an enchanted forest, Sehr, weaves together romance, drama, and delicate fantasy. Flowing chiffons, whispering silks, and glistening embroidery, mirrored moonlight on leaves and secrets hidden in shadows. With a palette of rose tints, ice lilacs, greys, and obsidian black—each garment evoked a mood of soft seduction and quiet power. Soft skirts, draped
corsets with shimmer, fitted jackets, languid shararas and new techniques of embellishment with
crystals, threadwork, garnets and pearls. As always, Suneet's show, a theatrical presentation replete with music and poetry, welcomed the fabulous, no pun intended, Riddhima Kapoor Sahni, in a sequinned lehenga, perfect for the modern bride, who dreams with her eyes wide open. 

Boring is out, whimsical is in and proving it was none other than Amit Aggarwal on the third day of Hyundai India Couture Week. His journey with textiles and the modern silhouette continues—not to hold tradition still but to let it freely evolve. The collection turns inward to the microscopic lattice of life: DNA. It is the body's original script, a sequence of memory, endlessly rewritten within you, through you and beyond you. This year, after his success with reimagining the Benarasi brocade fabric, he added structure to the multi-faceted Ikat. The creations, through his signature structural waves, have been reimagined through sculptural construction and cording that is expanded in form, scale and dimension. Although the show was absent of a showstopper, it certainly didn't lack lustre. For Amit Aggarwal, couture is many things—where ideas take form through many hands, where each piece is born out of quiet devotion, and where emotions through shape and design can be explored.

Known for their form-grazing silhouettes in sheer fabric with feathered ornaments, Falguni Shane Peacock returned to close the show on the third night ahead of the weekend. Imagine large, fragrant courtyards with peacocks dancing to the tunes of the twinkling raindrops, shining in the mesmerising light like diamonds; now that was the backdrop for the designer duo's couture show this year. They channelled the opulence of maharajas and maharanis through their collection, Raj Mahal Bijoux, the Palace of Jewels. Inspired by the icons like the Laxmi Vilas Palace and Jaipur's City Palace, the collection reimagines royal heritage for the modern royalty through sophisticated sarees, lehengas and shervanis. Of course, an iconic deserved an iconic showstopper, and the duo didn't settle for anything other than Akshay Kumar, who walked the ramp with his swag in a white bandhgala and black sunglasses. 

If there's one thing for certain, it is that couture season this year didn't just begin with a bang but is showing no signs of fizzling out just yet.