The Style Files : Designers Showcase At The Royal Turf Club Races 

Above all the Royal Turf Club races offers a fun, festive, people-watcher’s paradise, rife with edge-of-the-seat thrills, catwalk fashion and music from some of the country’s most popular bands and the event on the 23rd of April was no exception. Horse racing and fashion have traditional and historic ties which the Royal Turf Club will continue with.  At their last race event under the guidance of Colombo Fashion Week three designers showcased exquisite collections and luxury designer boutique Zudhora who curated a brilliant collection of mixed designers. 

Amilani Perera 

Amilani envisions elusive links between fashion and culture and history in her ready- to-wear self-titled exotic luxury fashion brand ‘AMILANI PERERA’ which was successfully launched at Colombo Fashion Week in 2013 and has featured regular collections there since then. Amilani graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Fashion & Textile Design, from the LASALLE College of Arts, Singapore in the year 2009 and gained exposure in the Sri Lankan apparel industry, being employed at MAS Holdings, as a lingerie designer, for Amanté. She also has her own collection of designer bridals, creating unique, conceptual yet wearable high-end design pieces which are detailed in a luxurious and sophisticated sense of style. 

Her collection for the RTC was like opening the gates to an ethereal garden and seeing what lies behind well, a tribe of bohemian nymphs in petal adorned gowns with ruffle detailing, bare shoulders and Grecian draping of course. One, even had floral applique worked with a ruffle sleeve. The shorter, just as romantic styles boasted blooms as well. Amilani's success in this collection is making women look and feel pretty. It's as simple as that. Any one of these dresses would work at any function, day or night. The next races, a garden party, a launch cocktail? Why, of course. 

Vathsala Gunesekera 

Studying at UoM in Fashion and Lifestyle Accessory, Vathsala Gunasekara's label “Chava” is inspired by bohemian chic styles and textures. Vathsala is an emerging designer from Colombo Fashion Week and her debut collection opened to rave reviews. Her ethos and vision is enriched with an interesting colour palette and patterns are simple and minimalistic while nature friendly materials are used for each and every design. 

Her collection showed pieces that were loose, loungey and exquisitely constructed.  Ethereal, pretty and perfect for roaming around, Vathsala's palatte was gorgeous. I felt her collection was equally imbued with a sense of strength and uncluttered zen. It was a tight edit with a clear train of thought. Clean, progressive, effortlessly infused with a minimalist sensibility and interspersed with bohemian vibes. She’s definitely one to watch! 

ZUDHORA 

ZUDHORA is a high end designer brand store that curates designer collections for the discerning clientele of Colombo. Launched by two renowned designers Ramona Oshini, and Charini Suriyage, ZUDHORA carries women’s ready-to-wear, designer wear and accessory collections by Sri Lankan and international designers. The  luxurious line of designer collections  includes clothing collections from Ramona Oshini, Charini, Meraki by Arra, Ohe Island by Nelun Harasgama, La Sari, KOCA by RN, renowned print designer Aarthivijay Gupta, OSA, KASUN and Amaranta with beautiful jewellery collections by Rodanthe, CELEST, Vati and Svelte by Monika Rau. Their edit for the show was a reflection of the spirit of the store, with glorious colours, inventive designs and sleek sophistication. 

Anushika Perera 

Majoring in Fashion Design and Lifestyle Accessory at UoM, Anushika showcased her collection under the label MOJO. Anushika won the title of Best Emerging Designer at Colombo Fashion Week with her stunning collection based on the concept of Metamorphosis. She is the first student from the University of Moratuwa to win this award and is inspired by her desire to create pieces that can be interpreted by each wearer, in order to look absolutely unique. 

Her collection was very feminine with the high- lo detailing enhancing this soft-meets-strong look. This wasn’t the only juxtaposition – the classic verses contemporary aesthetic that was evident in everything, but most prominently in the blue tunic dress with wings that buttoned in the front. It was a carefully considered collection that cemented her signature style. 

Text by Minoli Ratnayake 
Photographs courtesy Royal Turf Club and Sagara Lakmal De Mel