Diana Penty walked as the showstopper for Richa Khemka at Lakmé Fashion Week, embodying the confident, enigmatic spirit and also reflecting Khemka's vision of a woman who embraces her individuality and defies being defined by a single version of herself. For VESPER, Richa Khemka gave monochrome dressing a fresh spin with a look styled by Namita Alexander.
An embellished black bralette was paired with a black-and-white fringed skirt, its high slit adding movement to the silhouette. A black cummerbund belt had its own moment with silver embroidery cinching the waist, while intricate embroidery and layers of fringe added depth and texture.
While speaking about her collection 'VESPER' and theme 'Unseen', designer Richa Khemka exclusively tells us about the inspiration behind it. She says, "I feel like today we are living in a space where you are seeing so much on Instagram. There is some sense of power in being unseen, the power to withdraw from a large part of yourself. That's, for me, luxury."
"And I think that was the starting point of the collection. If you see, even on the runway, we took the mirrors to show that while you, as a person, are walking through a space, there are some parts of you that are seen and some parts that are unseen. The whole concept that we drew the collection from, all the embroideries and mirrors and lots of textures, lots of hidden textures," she adds.
Diana Penty was a dream as a showstopper and made everyone's heads turn with her stunning walk and beautiful outfit. Richa Khemka also shares why she chose the Cocktail actress as her muse. "I feel like Diana (Penty) is an amazing muse and very relatable to the audience. While she's been in the industry for a while, she's someone who still looks gorgeous. I always loved how she has looked, and there is a sense of classicness about her, and it was very lovely to style her," she further says.
Meanwhile, Diana Penty on walking for Richa Khemka said in an official statement, “Richa’s vision for the collection feels both personal and bold. I love how the collection encourages women to express themselves on their own terms, and it was a pleasure to bring that vision to the runway.”
Coming back to VESPER, the collection features sculptural silhouettes, sheer organza, layered transparencies, and reflective surfaces that bring this duality to life, while a palette of black, white, silver, and metallics lends the collection its distinctive edge. Intricate embroidery, dimensional textures, and unconventional fabric manipulation meet architectural forms, balancing artisanal craftsmanship with contemporary design.