White is definitely in this season as the country's top designers have made generous use of the all-time favourite colour in their spring and summer 2008 collections showcased at the ongoing Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week (WIFW) here.
"As always, a large number of people will sport white in summers. It not only reflects sunlight instead of absorbing it like black or any other dark colour, but also makes you feel and look cool," fashion designer Puja Arya told IANS.
Anjana Bhargava has also extensively used white, known to be a fusion of all colours, in her collection "Revival", using some of the finest Indian fabrics.
"I have used a lot of white, which is ideal for the summer season as it makes you very comfortable," she said.
Her women's wear line offers saris, lehengas (skirts), cholis (blouses), long kurtas teamed with churidars, straight fit pants and voluminous evening gowns.
For men, designer Manoviraj Khosla has designed a funky and colourful collection but balances it with white, making it perfect for summers.
His palette encompasses colours ranging from white, black, blue and orange to pink, yellow and even fluorescent green.
The collection has capris, shorts, cargoes and pleated pants teamed with body hugging T-shirts, shirts with balloon sleeves, jackets and coats.
"I have used a lot of white in my collection as it has lots of colours. White is a great colour for summers and does the balancing act making a colourful outfit easy and comfortable to wear, " he explained.
Inspired by the holy city of Benares, designer duo Shantanu & Nikhil's collection also uses the ethereal white in abundance.
Their men's wear collection has straight-fit trousers teamed with T-shirts, coats and balloon-sleeved shirts. Their range for women includes dresses of varied lengths with their trademark puffed sleeves, pleated baby-doll dresses, and skirts - both straight and short.
"White proves very comfortable in the hot and humid summer season," said Nikhil.
Though Rina Dhaka's clothesline is inspired by Samod in Rajasthan, it is dominated by chic western women's wear in gossamer fabrics with crochet work and traditional embroidery. And white again is a common factor.
Dresses of varied lengths and styles, especially off-shoulder ones, long tops and kurtas teamed with capris are part of her collection.