Saloni – Pre Spring/Summer 2016 Ready-To-Wear

“I’ve really been trying to discipline myself, in terms of color,” Saloni Lodha said at an appointment today. “Which is so hard for me! I’m Indian! I want all the colors!” Lodha owes herself a pat on the back: Her discipline is paying off. This season, there was a palpable sense of rigor in the Saloni collection, and not just in the constrained palette. Although there was a full complement of femme-y printed dresses—the Saloni signature—many of the strongest looks here were tailored pieces, like the long, lean pantsuits with ruffled sleeves or a buttoned cotton sundress. That both of the aforementioned looks were shown in plain black or cream underscored the fact that Lodha’s sense of line and proportion has matured. Her take on pattern has evolved, as well: Painted check, polka dot, and a printed, feather-shaped lace gave this collection a graphic quality. Pretty as they were, the frothier feather and lace prints looked tepid by comparison. Lodha can afford to give her clothes an edge—her idiomatic femininity still comes through. This season, as she focused on expanding her range of separates and offering more grown-up dress silhouettes, she seemed to have taken that idea to heart. There was a lot of edge here. The collection looked sharp.