Clothing Blanks Tunic

Moments in time

On the opening day of the Synergy1 Delhi Couture Week in the Capital, it was a reiteration of past loves. Varun Bahl continued his globe-trotting story of influence. After referencing Russia in his previous couture showing (Fabergé eggs, et al ) and the Orient before that, French costumes of the Marie Antoinette era, incorporated in an Indian context in terms of embellishment and silhouette, provided the crux.

Bahl, who's made quite clear his partiality towards velvet, this time used velvet in 18th Century French silhouettes like the Brunswick jacket and caraco, with exaggerated shoulders, occasionally quilted.

Engageantes decked up the sleeves, while Polonaise-esque draping, which proved a major influence on French costume, added the additional drama. Corset-inspired tops came paired with lehengas, while a floor-length georgette dress came with an embroidered pallu draped like a sari. A golden French lace tunic was teamed with brocade pants. The next sequence was largely a white-on-white one. Farshi pajamas (named so because of their habit of trailing the floor, or ‘farsh', and thereby being different from shararas) came in yards of rippling chiffon. (They later made an appearance in Valaya's show, too.) .

Polonaise velvet tunics came paired with chiffon Farshi pajamas. Of course, there were the hoop skirts, quite lehenga-like if it weren't for the gentle, doll-like to-and-fro. Much was in the details.

At around this time last year, JJ Valaya introduced the Alika jacket, a simple jacket-meets-shirt shape, introducing it as a signature silhouette that he would continue developing over successive collections. What was introduced as a basic silhouette last year, a blank canvas waiting for paint, has now reached full potential, fully embellished and falling in step with the embroidered and bead-and-crystal studded bridal lehengas.

The line, called ‘Tasveer' in reference to his newfound love for photography, saw the sequences arranged according to the evolution of print photographs — black-and-white, sepia-toned, hand-stained, natural and digital. As part of the black-and-white round, an Alika jacket came paired with a white sari fringed at the pallu, while a Swarovski-embellished bolero was presented with a panelled georgette gown. The ‘sepia' sequence, on the other hand, was brocade's moment.It was a clever move to represent the ‘hand-stained' photo era with an embroidered sari in fuchsia, the hue commonly used to brighten black-and-white matt photos. There were also satin leggings and appliqué jackets. Ornate bridal wear, towards which the show progressed, however, was about the lehengas and Alika jackets, though the saris (embellished with semi-precious stones and crystals) shone through, too. Alternatively embellished with gold metal zardozi, red crystals, beads, silver and coral, the lehegas were the clothing equivalent of rare, fine jewellery that heirlooms are made of.

wondermomo + Whoop!: 3.1 PHILLIP LIM Tunic-Dress with Cutout Back

Located in Plaza Mont'Kiara, wondermomo and Whoop! are two tiny boutiques where the prices are right and the labels seriously delectable. From clothing and denim, to shoes, bags, eyewear and other accessories, expect choice picks from a coterie of exciting designers. For stylish women, as well as those attempting to seduce them. Thanks for reading our blog. We look forward to welcoming you!

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