Aneeth enjoys the bloom with fresh faced daisies and tulips, while Pallavi Mohan gets sporty; Tarun Tahiliani makes art wearable as the Singh Twins spark a social debate
By Asmita Aggarwal
It was a walk in the gardenfresh, blooming with flowers; daisies, roses and tulips, as Aneeth Arora let the sweet aroma sweep your senses! But what was endearing was her love for crochet, this time it comes with a human angle, as Arora worked with refugee women from Afghanistan to preserve this art on school girl shirts which blended in with her lived-in, relaxed trousers.
A set constructed to give a feel of a garden with potted plants, a gardener, lush green grass, Aneeth didnt abandon simplicity for fickle colour. She kept hues toned, just adding splashes of it— cropped jeans with bright embroidery, and gingham shorts, were teamed up with sheer chanderis kurtas. I think ease is what we all are looking for in our lives and my clothes form an integral part of that sociology, says Aneeth.
Her small touches made a big impact like the lace trimmings, embroidered collars on masculine shirts, which she accessorised with neon running shoes on a largely white and ivory palette, keeping the mood light and breezy. Fashion kind of must set you free, right? she exclaims. A statement which comes as a relief in an industry which fanatically chases bodycons.
With those who subscribe to her philosophy sitting in the front row from activist Jaya Jaitely, the iconic textile revivalist Neeru Kumar to ace lensman Dayanita Singh, Aneeths delicate printed roses with hints of flaming reds went down as well as her scallops and pleats, as she wins your heart with, it is for women who will wear flowers in their hair rather than diamonds around her neck.
On Day 1 at WIFW SS15, there were myriad inspirations, and sportswear seems to be one of them with Pallavi Mohans Not So Serious offering mesh blouses, jogging pants with its signature piping on the sides, sheer full skirts and simple mens shirts with exaggerated lengths rubbing shoulders with crisp embroidered minty green dropped waist dresses.
On the notes of Ek Omkar, Tarun Tahilianis offsite show at the DLF Emporio, paid a heady tribute to the UK-based artists Singh Twins as he displayed his fervent love for ombre and drapes (lungi skirts, saris, wrap trousers), two constants in his burgeoning design vocabulary. I was impressed seeing the intricacy of their drawings and visited them in England, says Tarun.
Painting from a young age, prodded by their immigrant doctor father, the twins, Amrit Kaur and Rabindra besides dressing identically, also paint together, and complete each others sentences! Tarun has managed to understand the essence of what we try to say through our paintings in a digital age, the death of mythology and craft. We hope to revive Mughal miniature paintings which we love and they were earlier inspired by the road trip we went on with our father as kids to India, soaking in different cultures, which left a deep psychological mark on us, says Amrit.
The paintings are a talking point, and express an immigrants view of the tussle between keeping tradition alive despite a desperate bid for modernity and its many divergent, often astonishing facets. It is a social commentary, with art used an effective medium of communication, says Rabindra.
But the devil is in the details and the Singh Twins are masters of this component—-the vibrant colours, small deft brush stokes were brought alive by Tarun in his print dresses, scarves draped on the waist, tunics with paintings used as borders, Sikh turbans accessorised with Lennon-esque glasses, winding Sikh style ballerinas, but he didnt forget weaves as his unadulterated love for Kanjeevarams was evident in the check dhoti sari.