By IANS,
New Delhi : Mirrors are making a statement in high-end Indian pret clothes this Raksha Bandhan, thanks to young Hyderabad-based designer Anand Kabra whose fall/winter collection was unveiled in the capital.
Kabra’s mirror line, ‘And the Mirror Crack’d’ was showcased at the Crescent in the Qutab Monday. It was part of his Lakme India Fashion Week’s ready-to-wear collection this year.
“Over the past decade, we have been adding shine and glamour to formal clothes with crystal, beads, semi-precious stones and zardosi. I understand the importance of glamour in clothes, but this year I tried to think out of the box and decided to use mirror for the festival bling,” Kabra told IANS.
Mirror or ‘shisha’ – Persian for glass – was first brought to India by the Muslims in the 13th century. It flourished in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana and Delhi. Earlier, manually-blown mica glass was used for embroidery, but it has now been replaced by mass-produced machine-made shisha.
The collection, Kabra said, was inspired by “personal space”. “Last year (2008) was traumatic. There was security threat coupled with financial insecurity – it forced me to grow up. All the illusions I had about high fashion and boom were shattered. My collection reflected my mood and the market meltdown,” Kabra said.
The clothes pack in power – mostly traditional churidar kurtas in silks, georgettes and synthetic fibres with densely embroidered long jackets with mirror work and long sleeves with mirror trimmings, mirror saris teamed with embroidered bustiers and cholis, kurtis, western-style tops, black cocktail lehengas with heavy mirror embellishments and western style evening dresses with mirror highlights. They are form fitted, minimalistic and yet glamorous.
“The clothes are kind of solid, meant to withstand the quicksilver tide of changing styles and price and are in sombre metallic shades. You might call it a bit quirky,” Kabra said, pointing out the effects of 2008 in his collection.
Form-fits, said Kabra, are gradually acquiring “manic proportions”.
“Everyone is aspiring for size zero bodies. You see gyms, fitness centres and slimming therapy centres mushrooming all over the country. When one works towards a body like that, one might as well flaunt it in their clothes,” said the designer, a London College of Fashion graduate.
The price bands range from Rs.8,500 upwards.
Mirror is our heritage and mirror is our future, said Alka Nishar, the founder of Aza Fashions Pvt Ltd.
“The collection presents mirror in a futuristic style. The collection is stylish, comfortable and meant for fashion-forward clients. The price bands are competitive and we are targeting the festival crowd – beginning with Rakhi – till Diwali,” Nishar told IANS.
According to designer Renu Tandon, who has worked with mirrors in Jaipur style for her international pret line, “mirrors are forever”. “It can embellish any kind of clothes,” Tandon told IANS.