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Fashion looks to India for jewel in the crown
By Yang Di |
August 5, 2012, Sunday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
RICHLY embroidered pieces, intricate beading, lavish jewel tones, amazingly crafted fine jewelry and stacks of bangles… India is the flavor of the moment on the international fashion scene.
Karl Lagerfeld has let his inner Bollywood out with the Métiers d'Art collection entitled Paris-Bombay now available in the Chanel stores. The artisanal craftsmanship and elaborate pieces whisk us away to an India dripping with opulence.
"It's a concept of India. More Chanel than India. The Parisian version of an India that doesn't exist," elaborated Lagerfeld.
Beaded tunics hung over sheer leggings, flared paneled skirts, gold-embroidered tweed dress with kimono sleeves or painted with a flowerbed motif swaddled in airy layers of lace and muslin, metallic saris with a stunning silhouette, jewel-encrusted flat sandals - the Paris–Bombay collection evokes a new femininity.
Some of the looks have a bohemian allure, emphasized by military-style or Nehru jackets with long, full skirts, and tunics over leather or brocade pants in a high fashion version. The achkan - the brocade jacket with a Nehru collar - is manifested in a series of alter-egos: a gold-embroidered darted jacket with pearl braiding, a white plastron jacket with mirror-embroidered pockets, a darted half-belt jacket with baroque-pearl-studded collar, a riding jacket and crested blazers with tailored shoulders.
Avoiding the gaudy flash of Bollywood and other clichés, Lagerfeld stuck mainly to an imperial theme, referencing colonial times, too. The charm of India, the pomp and splendor of fabrics and the magic of gemstones intermingle with the Chanel aesthetic of cascading pearls, contrasting black and white and braided tweed jackets.
Lagerfeld himself has not been to India but drew on Coco Chanel's 1950s and 60s vision of the country. Most of the inspiration is from Indian men's clothes rather than women's.
This collection is Chanel's annual love letter to all the incredible and venerable ateliers whose work make for this Métiers d'Art collection. Every year since 2002, Chanel has taken the Métiers d'Art show as an opportunity to showcase master craftsmanship.
Taiwanese Canadian fashion designer Jason Wu also released his India-inspired pre-fall 2012 collection at the same time as Chanel's Paris-Bombay.
Inspired by Indian maharajas and Charley Harper's illustrations, Wu turned out a classic and regal collection for pre-fall. It takes two very different kinds of exuberance into one collection: tiny floral prints or rich brocades on dresses; fine leaf embroideries on chiffon blouses. Combining the two meant a strict silhouette with stately embellishments.
Design duo David Neville and Marcus Wainwright also took their inspiration from India for the Rag & Bone fall/winter 2012-13 collection with a mix of wearable, textured and layered separates. It's the faded colonial grandeur of India that resonates most strongly with Rag & Bone this season.
Shoe master Christian Louboutin is no stranger to India. The designer traveled to India as a teenager, and has since returned frequently. He was recently inspired by the glamorous world of Bollywood for his spring/summer collection.
The shoes perfectly reflect the ornate style of dress that's typically worn in many Bollywood films and the traditional Rajasthan women in daily lives.
They have typical Rajasthani embroidery and mirror work and come in both bright and subdued colors. It's a surprise to see Indian handicraft on a sexy pair of shoes created by the master of stiletto.
However, Western designers' love affair with India is not just a recent development.
Coco Chanel's fondness for Indian jewelry is well known, and in the late 1950s and early 60s, she designed Indian-inspired outfits.
For centuries, jewels characterized links between India and the West. India became a source of inspiration for Western jewelers such as Van Cleef & Arpels, Cartier, and Boucheron.
Getting a glimpse into the rarefied history of Van Cleef & Arpels was a treat at the jeweler's exhibition at MOCA in May. At the turn of the last century, maharajas and Indian princesses commissioned Van Cleef & Arpels to create bespoke jewelry for them, often supplying their own precious stones. The special orders made for maharajahs also inspired the House to transcribe the ancestral jewelry in a style for Western customers.
Pierre Cartier's association with Indian jewelry began in 1901 when he was asked to create a necklace for Queen Alexandra, empress of India and wife of Edward VII. Then in 1911 Jacques Cartier made his first trip to India, who was hugely influenced by the magnificence, artistry and craft of the princely jewelry. From India came the precious gemstones that led Cartier to invent "Tutti Frutti," a luscious multigem style that became a hallmark of the House in the 1920s.
Cartier's famous Patiala necklace, arguably one of the greatest pieces of jewelry ever made, was made for the Maharaja of Patiala in 1928. The bib-like Art Deco parade necklace with giant gems and five rows of diamond-encrusted platinum chains has been restored after the royal family scattered its contents following the post-independence decline of the princely state.
The mysterious side of Indian culture has inspired Cartier for a century. In 2008, the high-end brand introduced its Inde Mysterieuse collection of high jewelry pieces.
Inspired by the paisley pattern, Apsara and Surya from Indian myths, cobras, the Bengal tiger and even the precious stones themselves, the collection captured the essence of this Indian culture and is encrypted with symbols of the past.
Karl Lagerfeld has let his inner Bollywood out with the Métiers d'Art collection entitled Paris-Bombay now available in the Chanel stores. The artisanal craftsmanship and elaborate pieces whisk us away to an India dripping with opulence.
"It's a concept of India. More Chanel than India. The Parisian version of an India that doesn't exist," elaborated Lagerfeld.
Beaded tunics hung over sheer leggings, flared paneled skirts, gold-embroidered tweed dress with kimono sleeves or painted with a flowerbed motif swaddled in airy layers of lace and muslin, metallic saris with a stunning silhouette, jewel-encrusted flat sandals - the Paris–Bombay collection evokes a new femininity.
Some of the looks have a bohemian allure, emphasized by military-style or Nehru jackets with long, full skirts, and tunics over leather or brocade pants in a high fashion version. The achkan - the brocade jacket with a Nehru collar - is manifested in a series of alter-egos: a gold-embroidered darted jacket with pearl braiding, a white plastron jacket with mirror-embroidered pockets, a darted half-belt jacket with baroque-pearl-studded collar, a riding jacket and crested blazers with tailored shoulders.
Avoiding the gaudy flash of Bollywood and other clichés, Lagerfeld stuck mainly to an imperial theme, referencing colonial times, too. The charm of India, the pomp and splendor of fabrics and the magic of gemstones intermingle with the Chanel aesthetic of cascading pearls, contrasting black and white and braided tweed jackets.
Lagerfeld himself has not been to India but drew on Coco Chanel's 1950s and 60s vision of the country. Most of the inspiration is from Indian men's clothes rather than women's.
This collection is Chanel's annual love letter to all the incredible and venerable ateliers whose work make for this Métiers d'Art collection. Every year since 2002, Chanel has taken the Métiers d'Art show as an opportunity to showcase master craftsmanship.
Taiwanese Canadian fashion designer Jason Wu also released his India-inspired pre-fall 2012 collection at the same time as Chanel's Paris-Bombay.
Inspired by Indian maharajas and Charley Harper's illustrations, Wu turned out a classic and regal collection for pre-fall. It takes two very different kinds of exuberance into one collection: tiny floral prints or rich brocades on dresses; fine leaf embroideries on chiffon blouses. Combining the two meant a strict silhouette with stately embellishments.
Design duo David Neville and Marcus Wainwright also took their inspiration from India for the Rag & Bone fall/winter 2012-13 collection with a mix of wearable, textured and layered separates. It's the faded colonial grandeur of India that resonates most strongly with Rag & Bone this season.
Shoe master Christian Louboutin is no stranger to India. The designer traveled to India as a teenager, and has since returned frequently. He was recently inspired by the glamorous world of Bollywood for his spring/summer collection.
The shoes perfectly reflect the ornate style of dress that's typically worn in many Bollywood films and the traditional Rajasthan women in daily lives.
They have typical Rajasthani embroidery and mirror work and come in both bright and subdued colors. It's a surprise to see Indian handicraft on a sexy pair of shoes created by the master of stiletto.
However, Western designers' love affair with India is not just a recent development.
Coco Chanel's fondness for Indian jewelry is well known, and in the late 1950s and early 60s, she designed Indian-inspired outfits.
For centuries, jewels characterized links between India and the West. India became a source of inspiration for Western jewelers such as Van Cleef & Arpels, Cartier, and Boucheron.
Getting a glimpse into the rarefied history of Van Cleef & Arpels was a treat at the jeweler's exhibition at MOCA in May. At the turn of the last century, maharajas and Indian princesses commissioned Van Cleef & Arpels to create bespoke jewelry for them, often supplying their own precious stones. The special orders made for maharajahs also inspired the House to transcribe the ancestral jewelry in a style for Western customers.
Pierre Cartier's association with Indian jewelry began in 1901 when he was asked to create a necklace for Queen Alexandra, empress of India and wife of Edward VII. Then in 1911 Jacques Cartier made his first trip to India, who was hugely influenced by the magnificence, artistry and craft of the princely jewelry. From India came the precious gemstones that led Cartier to invent "Tutti Frutti," a luscious multigem style that became a hallmark of the House in the 1920s.
Cartier's famous Patiala necklace, arguably one of the greatest pieces of jewelry ever made, was made for the Maharaja of Patiala in 1928. The bib-like Art Deco parade necklace with giant gems and five rows of diamond-encrusted platinum chains has been restored after the royal family scattered its contents following the post-independence decline of the princely state.
The mysterious side of Indian culture has inspired Cartier for a century. In 2008, the high-end brand introduced its Inde Mysterieuse collection of high jewelry pieces.
Inspired by the paisley pattern, Apsara and Surya from Indian myths, cobras, the Bengal tiger and even the precious stones themselves, the collection captured the essence of this Indian culture and is encrypted with symbols of the past.
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