Papa Don’t Preach Said Rani Pink is the New Red at LFW 2025

If the opening night of the FDCI Lakme Fashion Week 2025 felt like an ode to craft and heritage, the second day’s marquee, Enamor× Papa Don’t Preach: A Luxury Curation, felt nothing less than a ritual under the starry night. The show, which took place on October 9, spun a narrative with tarot cards and witchcraft, reflecting the theme of the collection and presented a careful blend of everything mystical with couture through its silhouettes.

The collection had a lot that struck a chord. From its distinct sari drapes and blouse designs to its pastel colour palette and unique silhouettes, the show transformed the runway into a space between worlds, a lunar tableau marked with occult symbols and suspended planar mirrors, where the models adorned one-of-a-kind looks, creating an illusion as they emerged like tarot archetypes. 

Inspired by the mystical elements of the cosmos, the collection felt like a celebration of modern femininity, featuring a range of flirtatious miniskirts, embroidered baby-doll dresses, and signature corsets, as well as structured blazers embellished with beads, 3D florals, and charms, perfect for a bride seeking an outfit that stands out. 

Fashion girlies, if you are looking to give your big day a mysterious touch, you can opt for the High Priestess’ sheer cape-backed gowns or the Empress’s embroidered corset and floaty chiffon, and even the magician’s structural separates that glinted like talismans.

More than a couture collection, Papa Don’t Preach, in collaboration with Enamor, gave a modern twist to its couture, each garment with a distinct story of its own. A reaffirmation to the Rani Pink lovers, the collection ensured that everyone in the universe of fashion knew that Rani Pink is the new red and is here to stay, in different forms, for different occasions. Whether it was in a sari or a corset as part of a modern Indian bride’s bridal trousseau, the colour was making its own unique place in everyone’s wardrobe.

With its statement jackets, pastel gowns and fishtail skirts, the collection did not just seek to redefine what modern brides would choose when it came to their bridal ensemble, but it soft-launched a whole new revolution of the kind of bridal outfit that resonates the most with the brides of today and what is rather reflective of their personalities instead of choosing bridal ensembles that are extravagant.

The showstopper, actor Ayesha Kanga’s deep midnight-blue, embellished bodysuit crafted with fringes and embroidered with constellations, was as dramatic as it was bold, coupled with a pair of uniquely designed shoes with small disco balls for heels and stars and moons on the straps that reached Ayesha’s knees. 

The collection leaned heavily into moody satins, illusion tulle and metallic brocades, often layered in asymmetric panels and architectural draping. The embellishments across silhouettes were clustered rather than spread to create an illusion of stars and stardust. 

One standout motif was the ‘celestial tear,’ a vertical line of elongated crystals, like a falling star frozen mid-descent, which appeared on bodices, sleeves, and backs. Through that iconography, the designer seemed to suggest fashion as divination as the garments read the skin like a palm, which carries meaning as well as style. Not just that, the colours across the ensembles played a key role. Acting as punctuation, the collection spanned across colours like indigo, deep burgundy, onyx, and silver. Yet the collection glowed with slivers of pigment — a cobalt hem, a burgundy underpanel, a plum lining — reminding the eye there’s drama in depths, not only in extremes.

Papa Don’t Preach, known for its theatrical and impeccable tailoring and careful detailing, represented confidence and charisma woven by artistic hands into a canvas of bold self-expression with their newest collection.