ARTISANAL CONVERGES WITH CONSCIENTIOUS, CELESTIAL AND CLASSIC AT INDIA COUTURE WEEK PART III

The second edition of the digital India Couture Week 2021 ended on Sunday evening and over the past one week one factor that remained constant was the salutation of Indian textiles and Indian handicraft in the collection of couturier after couturier.

Anamika Khanna’s Couture 2021 collection rejoiced beauty in its varied forms. “It is an acceptance of what is, and a celebration of what we are given. This way we pay homage to the most intricate crafts of India, take from there , the spirit of what was and what will be for eternity”, elucidated Anamika about the essence of her collection. Filmed dramatically on heaps of flowers and petals, the collection had intricate patchwork that seemed like an insignia on sherwanis and bordered the odhnis. The Ivory and burnt-gold lehengas and long jackets were so intricately embroidered that they looked like paintings.

Reynu Taandon’s collection Zuri was a bridal couture collection where the designer drew her inspiration from nature. The collection had shades of pastels, flora and fauna motifs and as bridal couture demands, plentiful of glittering embellishments. From tone-on-tone mirrored lehengas, anarkalis, sarees, shararas and ghararas, the collection had ensembles for all occasions of a wedding.

Falguni Shane Peacock celebrated Love with their collection, which was inspired by Taj Mahal. Over the time numerous designers have taken to the iconic Taj to draw inspiration. Falguni Shane Peacock also transcribed the innumerable motifs borrowed from the Taj Mahal on their couture creations. The motifs of domes and minarets, filigree of foliage, and motifs of fauna and birds found prominent expression in the collection. The ensembles were traditional in style with a hint of modernity like fitted-and-flared silhouettes, trailed lehengas, and ball gown-style lehengas.

Anju Modi’s collection was about research, reviving and reinventing the legacy of bridal couture passed down over generations. The look definitely had an heirloom feel about the ensembles, with classic silhouettes and evergreen colour palettes. Anju called her collection ‘The Eternal Story’ and indeed it was where the lehengas and sarees looked passed down from grandmother to granddaughter and to be treasured eternally.