Bling is in, not credit blues, at India fashion week

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Colours ran riot and bling was in as designers at one of India's premier fashion weeks on Wednesday sought to cast off global economic blues with their sparkling creations.

"I think you should use more bling when the situation is grim to cheer you up," said Ranna Gill, one of seven designers to showcase spring-summer collections on day one of the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week.

Gill's nirvana-inspired line featured free-flowing kaftans, pant suits, knitted skirts with geometrical prints in browns, turquoise green and purple, topped off with bold crystal neckpieces.

Designer Siddhartha Tytler said the Indian fashion industry had started feeling the pinch of the financial meltdown as international buyers were taking fewer orders.

But there was no signs of gloom in Tytler's 'Ambrosia' collection, which featured embroidered sheeting in vibrant silver, golden, orange and blue short dresses with Japanese comic character prints.

Other designers looked elsewhere for inspiration.

Amrish Kumar, couture diva Ritu Kumar's son, made his debut with a collection inspired by the 'Maasai' tribes of East Africa.

Strong on prints like his mother, Amrish used them innovatively on slacks and short frocks.

Designer Sanchita's understated collection with metallic embellishments derived inspiration from the works of artist Jean Vendome and architect-designer Charles Rennie Mackintosh while Surily Goel's one-shoulder layered dresses in olive green and rose pink were a throwback to ancient Greece.

Many of the country's best known designers are showcasing spring and summer collections on the runway or in stalls at the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week, one of two competing fashion events running concurrently in the capital.