The Age Old Trends of Baroque and Brocade within Indian Fashion Design

The baroque art movement has persisted for over two centuries and still popular to this day all over the world. The Baroque technique refers back to a significant era when art was portrayed in its most beautiful and theatrical glory.

The enthusiastic and dramatic Baroque style first began in Italy and from them influenced a variety of countries around the world. English fashion designers discovered their new ideas in traditional books about Continental ornaments. A unique sense of drama and a distinctive ornate style characterise the technique that is Baroque. Within the decade in which this trend first became popular Interiors were lavish with rich velvets and highly embellished furnishings teamed with patterned wood.

In relation to this, within Indian techniques and design, the technique of brocade within Indian fashion design is extremely popular and similar in aesthetic. The process begins with a simple pencilled design, it is then transferred onto a larger sheet of paper that shows magnified detail of the weft colours. Tanchoi fabric is used to produce Tanchoi sarees, which was first introduced to Varanasi in the early 20th century.

Indian Designer Rohit Bal has showcased a number of stunning collections, which feature brocade throughout a number of the garment designs. Rohit’s signature stunning needlework and traditional silhouettes are used, created garments such as floor sweeping anarkalis with gorgeous and extremely traditional brocade detailing. Proving that the trend is still very much in tact after all theses years, especially within Indian fashion design. 

Current popular bridal trends were seem to be swarming the runways showcased rich velvet textures, chandleries, and heavily textured brocades, teamed with luxurious silks and delicate embroidery which definitely ruled the ramps.

While a number of designers are innovating their Indian fashion design style, and brides are now prepared to experiment more quirky and vintage styles such as brocade, silhouettes that are ultimately overshadowing bridal trends are a blend of both old trend and charm teamed with contemporary styling.

Sources: Wedding Sutra, Strand of Silk, Modern Urban Living

Tarun Tahiliani Bridal Couture Insight

Tarun Tahiliani first launched his design studio in 1990, which has now lead to an extremely popular career in fashion design. His distinguishing signature style has since developed as a combination of intricate textile detail, sophisticated luxury, and extremely detailed tailoring.

The Tarun Tahiliani Design Studio creates unique couture, diffusion and prêt-a-porter, which are all very traditionally Indian in their sensibility, but international and contemporary in their appeal.

The rich heritage of the garments is reinvented as modern and on trend high fashion through the mastermind of traditional Indian craftsmanship, with the finest of Indian textiles; along with detailed Italian pattern cutting and new hi-tech technologies, such as digital textiles printing. His unique and beautiful combination of historical lavishness and innovative contemporary chic also lend themselves to Indian couture.

Tahiliani, who graduated with a degree in Business Management from the Wharton School of Business, then gained an associate degree from the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York. He then gained the status of the first Indian fashion designer to be requested to showcase his designs at Milan Fashion Week.

The Tarun Tahiliani brand sets out to produce the definitive "India Modern": Combining Indias most loved traditional techniques with todays current fashion trends and innovations such as western cuts, construction and finish whilst being crafted with Indian heritage and craftsmanship.

Tarun Tahiliani's new stunning couture collection embodies these elements by borrowing from India's rich and popular cultural roots, drama, and complexity and infuses it with subtleness paired with a fun playfulness.

His newest collection consists of a burst of shimmering gold, soft hues of pastel tones and a distinctive whimsical bubbliness that is suggestive of a past era of charisma and elegance. Tarun Tahilani's key purpose within his collections is to create beautiful couture that preserves distinguishing Indian crafts, whilst investigating visions of sparkling crystals that reflects emotions for beautiful brides to be.

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Abraham & Thakore: A Success Story

Abraham & Thakore is now one of India's most successful and valued brand for fashion, accessories and even home textile products. This unique design label was initially established by David Abraham and Rakesh Thakore, both graduates of the National Institute of Design.

Each Abraham & Thakore collection explores an innovative modern design voice whilst also focusing on the rich cultural and traditional vocabulary of Indian design and craft. The design sensibility is low key yet highly distinctive, with a strong respect for material, form and craft. A&T reiterates the belief that real luxury lies in specially crafted product in limited numbers of high quality.

Abraham & Thakore have never simply followed current trends, but approached then in innovative and quirky way, making their own trends along the way. The stylish designer duo have always made up their own fashion rules, sticking to their own personal idea of stylish contemporary Indian fashion with a touch of culture.

For one of their campaigns the quirky designer duo joined forces with well known Banarasi silk leader Ekaya, for a beautiful collection fashioned from hand-crafted brocade in striking tones of bright pink, saffron, bronze and vermillion. The collection was extremely sophisticated in its approach; the garments were created to challenge the current ample Indian silhouettes into more subtle and stylised western proportions. While the modernist styling of the collections offered an interesting angle, the definite standout garment in the collection was decidedly more traditionalist – a stunning liquid gold sari with matching blouse.

Other collections by Abraham & Thakore, which are presented each season, represent the extremely modern collaboration between fashion and lifestyle, with an undeniable unifying vision for the way the contemporary urban consumer dresses and lives - whether in New Delhi, London or Tokyo. Each season both the fashion and home textile collections are showcased to high-end international buyers in prestigious trade salons in Paris. In India, the collection is presented biannually at the India Fashion Week, New Delhi.

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Manish Malhotra - A Success Story

Indian designer Manish Malhotra is one of India’s most well-known and loved fashion designers. But not only does he create stunning garments for Bollywood’s most important and loved names but has also designed for a number of world famous Hollywood stars, such as actress Reese Witherspoon and even supermodels Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell. Manish is well known world wide for the creation of extravagant and luxury garments with a distinctive traditional Indian style with the use of colour storytelling and glamorous and intricate craftsmanship.

Manish was born in Mumbai, and his swift journey to the top of the fashion industry has ultimately been one of a kind. From his characteristic love for movies, glamour and unique colour to forming an extremely niche category for himself as a top Bollywood stylist/Costume Designer. He is now one of the most well know and influential designer’s in the country, he has without a doubt created an unique pathway to success.

As a self-taught designer, Indian designer Manish’s career first started with a small Mumbai-based boutique. From that moment he chased his dream to be a Costume designer for the top movies. He initiated ‘styling’ in Bollywood as a whole as we now know it today, a visionary that involved not only the creation of the clothing but the development of the character and the aspect of working on each fragment of the look.

Manish Malhotra's imaginative outfits and garments always attract applause from the audience at Lakme Fashion Week, but his most recent cocktail dress collection for the current year's Winter/Festive Season fashion week hosted in Mumbai was all the more incredible and jaw-dropping. We saw a variety of shimmery, beautiful and breath-taking ensembles of couture Indian attire from the Indian designer including unique lehengas, sarees, and fusion outfits.

Staying very true to his glossy theme, Manish designed his whole collection around shimmering fabrics and dreamy rich colours.

As the saree develops as more and more globalised as a fashion statement, Indian designer Malhotra used its elegance, detail and charm to design beautifully flowing skirts – doubling up the traditional Indian garment into a stunning ball gown that glides across the room.

The fashion week festivities wouldn't be completed without some breath-taking and unique lehengas, created from shimmering silver fabrica and embroidered with gorgeous pearl coloured beads! Manish Malhotra's designs are known to feature heavy materials and borders in line with a graceful and royal image.

The Future of Fashion in India

The best thing about fashion in India is that it doesn’t remain constantm with new ideas constantly springing up. West meets ethnic is the fashion statement which has taken the country by a storm. Peasant crop tops, solid anarkalis, printed trousers and culottes are just some of the few wardrobe must haves. The glorious fusion of chic modern style with quintessentially Indian fashion has created an explosion of unique designs and a riot of never seen before colours. This is the future of Fashion in India.

Fashion blogger duo Shereen and Kayaan are fun, challenging, confident and bold. They push their boundaries and wear quirky outfits that leave us desiring some for ourselves.  

Their Rakshabandhan blog post was aptly titled Raksha Fusion. Kayaan, as seen in the top image, has captured the absolute essence of India with her Debashree Samanta dhoti pants, and flashy gold jewellery while the crop top balances the whole look lending it a western touch.

Shereen, as seen in the top image, wears a Karishma Jamwal drape dress and tops it with a Kiran Uttam Ghosh pleated cape. The loud and vibrant orange and red colours add that perfect smack of ethnicity.

They also modelled for the next gen Indianfashion designer Tanya Sharma’s eccentric label named ‘GaGa’. Shereen, in the far top image, wears a quilted Bandhini sweatshirt, a croptop and bright lehenga skirt. Kayaan on the other hand goes sporty ethnic (yes, that’s a thing now) with a quilted jersey and tie dye anarkali. These outfits take this wonderful fusion to a whole new level.

While the designer, Debashri Samanta, was inspired by the plight of the Vietnamese fisherwomen when creating these outfits, we can’t ignore the subtle Indian ness in them which is so chic and strangely elegant that we can’t take our eyes off them.

Our absolute favourite is Masaba Gupta, the originator of the avant-garde. With her zany, quirky and eccentric prints, she has won over the hearts of millions. Such was the demand for her clothes that she started a new line of unusual and unconventional outfits in affordable prices!

Khyati Pande is an upcoming designer whose creations are spreading like wildfire. She combines various elements to create one outfit and the best part is that it doesn’t look garish or over the top.

She loves her colours and knows how to play with them. Layering with flair is her forte and she loves bright waistcoats, minimal kurtas and bold trousers.

‘It’s a new era in fashion- there are no rules’ –Alexander McQueen

Never be scared to experiment with your style and fuse eastern and western elements!

Christmas Gift Ideas: Featuring Indian Designer Clutches by Meera Mahadevia

When it comes to Christmas gifts, the more unique and special the better. In relation this, a Meera Mahadeica Indian designer clutch is the perfect gift, Meera Mahadevia clutches are detailed with a variety of semi-precious stones to create stunning fashion forward accessories. Handmade to the last detail, no two bags are identical. These uniquely designed luxury clutches are often worn by and designed for Bollywood actresses to famous celebrities.

Our first top pick is this elegant silver clutch, it is a quintessential party wardrobe essential and will go with almost every outfit. It features a gorgeous cut work pattern studded with small white stones and one large gleaming oval shaped stone. This sparkling clutch is perfect for standing out.and dressing up simple outfits.

Next is this enthralling black and gold Indian designer clutch, which exudes charismatic aura and can glam up even the simplest of party ensembles. It features a intricate gold leatherette base with black velvet lace weaving in a stylish pattern on the front. The metal pieces add further dazzle into the opulent design.

This stunning glittering piece if the perfect Christmas gift, it’s unusual shape and gorgeous detail makes it a must have for a up to date evening wardrobe. Bringing gold and Silver together is a handy essential for a mix of match with jewellery.

Last but not least is this exquisite festive Indian designer clutch in gold polish. It is perfect for adding a glamorous touch to your special occasion’s ensembles. It features a maroon velvet base adorned with gorgeous metal flowers at the front lower half. The dazzling big semi-precious stones make it all the more striking and desirable. This versatile and easy to combine shape is ideal for those days that require something really special.

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Picture of the day: contemporary Indian designer wear by Neeru Kumar

Contemporary Indian designer wear.
Beautiful Jalebi Jacket by designer Neeru Kumar. 
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Contemporary Indian Designer: Little Shilpa

Little Shilpa is an indian designer based in India, in  Mumbai. She studied at SNDT University, Juhu, and graduated in 1996.

For her collections, she draws inspiration from local influences and observations. She takes a vintage thought and translates it into a modern product through the usage of varied raw materials.

She transmits us her concept by taking shapes, and juxtaposing them through accessories, pictures, headpieces, fashion films and art pieces.

Little Shilpa's creations are bright, playful and beautiful. They can be worn at a party, a special events, or even a wedding with a modern and minimalist bridal lenghas if you dare to, as Lady Gaga does :

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