We check out ethnic chic as it gets a funky makeover
A sari cut up into a slinky dress is the stuff of mothers nightmares. But in designer Rahul Mishras hands,it can be the spunky makeover ethnic chic was looking for. Mishra took nine yards each of the minimalist mundu neriyathum and the ornate Banarasi silk sari and put the two wedding favourites together to make a reversible dress.

The dress is a cheeky little thing that can go from being a pretty day dress to elegant eveningwear just by turning it inside out. Each side is seamless and has detailed work on it. It is miraculously light,despite the blend of two fabrics. With the economic meltdown,I think it makes more commercial sense if you can pack in two dresses in one. Each side has not just two different indigenous Indian fabrics but a different silhouette and style, says the 29-year-old post-graduate from the National Institute of Design,Ahmedabad. Mishras innovations won him an award for the most commercially viable design at the 24th International Design Award in the Netherlands a couple of months ago,as well as a scholarship with the famed Instituto Marangoni in Milan, where he trained under the likes of Gaultier and Frankie Marello. His collection for the Lakme Fashion Week this week will see him put together chanderi fabrics from Madhya Pradesh with Banarasi silk.

Mishra is part of a generation of designers is carrying forward the work done by designers Ritu Kumar,Ashish Soni and Anamika Khanna,who took ethnic chic to the global runways. In West Bengal, another 29-year-old designer,Soumitra Mondal,has been using khadi silk woven specially for him by weavers in Chowk village,Murshidabad district,to make edgy Westernwear for his label Marg. This year,I am trying to make khadi couture. My entire line is made out of handloom fabrics, he says. Mondal has even improvised a kind of linen-silkan indigenous blend of linen and handloom silk that is both light and soft to touch. His grungy jackets are slightly coarse and embellished with metal sequins,and bright dresses are form-fitted and done up in traditional Baluchari embroidery. The ensembles come in a riot of colours,with textures and embroidery that look nothing like what you have associated with Bengal weavers. When Mondal launched his label in 2002,he was idealistic enough to decide that he would work with the heritage of his state. Handloom silk and khadi are two of Bengals most well-known cottage industries,but for all practical purposes,they have been relegated to the realm of has-beens. I thought if I could use them in a more youthful way,I might be able to do my bit in reviving them, he says.

Delhi designer Norden and wife Aparna Wangdi are also stitching up another innovation. When the duo decided to set up their first shop in Nordens hometown,Gangtok,the first item that came to mind was the baku. A traditional Sikkimese dress,the baku was worn as a long coat with a belt known as the patuka. Most women wear it with a shirt inside. Norden has an emotional attachment to it,having seen his mother and other women in the family wear it. So we decided to focus on it in our new collection and improvise it as best as we could, says Aparna. The two used everything from Banarasi silks to Bhagalpuri silks from Bihar,instead of the Chinese silk that is traditionally used. We maintained the cut,but played around with the fabric. We also incorporated light embroidery,more in the line of sitare work thats so popular in north India, says the 33-year-old. The first lot was sold out at Ollatin,their store. Now,the two are now looking to revolutionise it further. We are planning to improvise on the look. Shorten the length of the baku,add some tight-fitted contrasting trousers and make it more funky, says Aparna.