Sarees (or saris) are a fairly well known Indian garment and are often the first thing people associate with Indian fashion. While I certainly love sarees, I confess I have never actually worn one. That's because I just can't part with my lenghas.
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| Anju Modi's work. Left, middle, right. |
There are quite a few Indian fashion designers I am in utter awe of, their work filling my Pinterest boards and making me more than a little desperate for trip to India. Above are some of my favourite lenghas by one of my favourite designers, Anju Modi. Her work is just breathtakingly eclectic, and her costumes for the Bollywood film Ram-Leela really blew me away. No one mixes fabrics, colours, cuts and styles quite like her.
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| Manish Malhotra's work. Left, middle, right. |
Manish Malhotra was the first Indian designer to capture my heart, though. While his work may not be the most cutting-edge, it does take the tradition of Indian fashion to new heights of intricacy by honouring the history behind the garments. Luxe, sumptuous and bold designs define his work for me, and probably are what make him the most sought-after designer in Bollywood.
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| Sabyasachi's work. Left, middle, right. |
Sabyasachi Mukherji is a designer who is new to me, as I came across his pieces for India Couture Week 2014. The deep, dusky colours artfully draped and layered caused quite a bit of commotion in the fashion world then. While his work varies quite a bit, these designs from '14 hold a special place in my heart for their heady aesthetic—and I still think the belted lengths are an ingenious reinvention!
Yeah, so that's a round up of my three favourite designers in India, all of their work being magical and (sadly) unattainable, for me at least. All in all, I do find myself increasingly loving Indian fashion for it blends the art of details, history and tradition, within a modern context, so very well.
