An offsite venue, loads of glamour and out-of-the-box offerings, Manish Arora's show at the ongoing Shree Raj Mahal Jewellers India Couture Week (ICW) turned out to be an absolute delight for all couture lovers with his line's psychedelic colours, trendy prints and unique designs.
The internationally acclaimed Indian designer is known for giving an edge to the Indian elements and this was fully on display when he presented a gamut of designs in varied colours.
"I love Indian tradition and colour and this is the reason why I believe that no other designer can play with so many colours in one garment like the way I do. I believe in telling stories through my designs and this is what my couture line was all about.
"It was meant for all the powerful women who believes in creating name for themselves," said the designer who showcased his collection at the French Embassy here.
Asked about the reason for this offsite show, he said: "I think couture has its route from France so this was an ideal venue."
Arora chose to showcase six different lines through six different stories that varied in inspiration from Italian castles to Japanese crafts to royalty and were titled "The Peacock", "The Crown", "The Jewels", "The Light Fantastic", "Iridescent" and "Temari".
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Striving for the full design experience, headgear too played a pivotal role in the collection with different forms, shapes and sizes completing the look of all themes.
Gold, an intrinsic element of Indian culture dominated "The Jewels" theme, with the designs looking more glamorous in colour themes that varied from sea green, powder blue and ivory on diverse fabrics like heavy crepe, duchesse satin and silk dupions.
"The Light Fantastic' was a physical translation of the fantastical imagery of the Light Festivals of Belgium and Paris through the most intricate and finest embroideries.
Sequins of different sizes and proportions were translated in the form of sensuous garments recreating geometric and abstract patterns. Luxurious fabrics like velvets and silk dupions in a darker colour palette including maroons, blacks and emerald greens, were a rare treat to watch out for.
Taking inspiration from the Peacock Room in Castello di Sammezzano in Italy's Tuscany region, "The Peacock" story revisited the "old school Manish Arora".
Multicolour stripes, gold rexine embroideries, and 3D highlighted on bases of bright colour were some of the highlight of this psychedelic collection. Applique, zari, peacock textures and traditional embroideries harmoniously inter-wove Indian aesthetic with European sensibility to make it a true example of East meet West.
"The Crown Story" derived its inspiration from the majestic crowns worn by historic monarchs, with the designs were translated beautifully and delicately in the collection that was feminine in its own way.
The beautifully-intricate Temari is a celebrated craft for the Japanese aristocracy and this is what the "Temari" story was. Highlighting the techniques through the constant base colours of black, white and gold, each garment was distinguished by a special colour ranging from emerald green and fuchsia, to red and electric blue, with accents of pearls and gold embroidery.
Last but not the least, "Iridescent" was an ode to the love of sheer, with the designs showcasing opalescent embroideries in traditional Indian motif, and serving as the perfect finale to the long show.