Sabyasachi’s Decadent Couture Collection Showcased Vintage Clothing With A Modern Twist
When one talks about haute couture in India, it’s hard to divorce it from the term “bridal”. And when you talk about bridal wear, it’s hard to think of anyone other than Sabyasachi, who has made it such a strong part of his design aesthetic. The Kolkata-based designer has elevated bridal wear to pure art with his extravagant collections season after season, and this year was no different.
Although he didn’t officially participate in the ongoing India Couture Week 2016, he did one up and showcased his new heritage bridal collection on Instagram instead on a rainy Monday night, a day before ICW 2016 kicked off. Last September, designer Misha Nonoo too did an “Insta-show” at New York Fashion Week, as did Masaba Gupta at Lakme Fashion Week. But for Sabyasachi, a master couturier who loves to showcase his collections amidst grand sets and lots of pomp and splendour, this was something of a departure. And, might I add, a rather clever one.
For a designer so enthralled by tradition, he eschewed a standard runway experience and the exclusive settings of couture week to give his collection a far more democratic and inclusive opening — a show made entirely for Instagram, and everyone was invited. Called Firdaus — or the highest garden of paradise, in Urdu — the collection featured decadent coats with intricate embroideries and dip-dyed brocades, and sarees in lush velvets and tulle, woven with silver and hand-dyed resham. A decadent collection with a colonial hangover that’s now become a Sabya trademark, some pieces took as much as 2,800 hours, over 2 million stitches, and 69 artisans to complete. If this isn’t Indian couture at its most luxurious, I don’t know what is.
Shot by ace photographer Tarun Khiwal, makeup by Mickey Contractor, exquisite jewellery by Kishandas & Co, sets from the Sabyasachi Art Foundation, and music curated by the Sabyasachi Culture Foundation, the Insta-show’s production was nothing less than spectacular, and the feeling of watching it on your smartphone in the comforting confines of your home was an intimate and engaging experience.
At any fashion week, a show isn’t a show worth talking about if it isn’t creating chatter on social media. And in one fell swoop, Sabyasachi ensured that that monotony of fashion week was broken and a direct relationship established with the people who will ultimately buy into his designs worldwide. As for the chatter? There was more than enough of that going around, with comments still going strong as I write this.
Keep scrolling below to see the gorgeous collection.
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A photo posted by Sabyasachi Mukherjee (@sabyasachiofficial) on
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A photo posted by Sabyasachi Mukherjee (@sabyasachiofficial) on
#Sabyasachi #Couture2016 #FIRDAUS #HeritageWeddings #KishandasForSabyasachi #TheWorldOfSabyasachi
A photo posted by Sabyasachi Mukherjee (@sabyasachiofficial) on
#Sabyasachi #Couture2016 #FIRDAUS #VintageGlamour #KishandasForSabyasachi #TheWorldOfSabyasachi
A photo posted by Sabyasachi Mukherjee (@sabyasachiofficial) on
