Praise thy muse

When it comes to fashion, it’s all about the inspiration behind a silhouette that makes it worth cherishing.

A close look at the collections that are all set to be paraded on the ramp at the fashion week in Mumbai that is scheduled to kickstart tomorrow, tells us that our designers tried hard to think out-of-the-proverbial-box to create eye-catching designs for this season. While fashion designer Narendra Kumar Ahmed aka Nari sought inspiration from a Maroon & Christina Aguilera song Moves Like Jagger to create an entire men’s wear line, Swapnil Shinde’s line, though called Untitled, has a Terminator meets Predator, with Madonna being their mistress kind of a feel to it! The designer says that he dived into science and fiction movies along with music from the 1980s to create garments for his new line.

 Archana Kochhar’s line, Kathputli Kathak seeks inspiration from dancing puppets of Rajasthan. The highlight of the collection will be the bright splash of colours on outfits with playful elements to them. Young designer duo Khushboo and Prem’s line is aptly christened A Beautiful Mess. The line, says the duo, caters to intangible elements like hope and fragile dreams, and hence the title.

Rimi Nayak took a peek into the animal world for fashionable inspiration. She studied the world of insects and translated them onto her designs “retaining the contrasting rigidity found in an insect’s body along with the fluidity in their swaying motions.”

Accessories designer Malini Agarwala incorporated elements from the Zulu kingdom in her new line titled KwaZulu. “It’s a province in South Africa and the bags have geometric embroidery patches that will instantly remind  you of the beadwork that is worn by the Zulu women in their belts, dresses and headgear,” says Malini.

Designer Payal Singhal will show her bridal line that seeks inspiration from the Indian summer wedding and Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream! Explaining the reason for the unique mix, the designer says she has picked up the essence of an Indian wedding with its rich culture and aromas of jasmine and turmeric and teamed it with the mystical chaos of Shakespeare’s timeless offering. Shakespeare must be pleased, indeed!