Varun Bahl revived the ancient old Art Nouveau with a contemporary touch through his collection, says Mansi Bhansali

Taking inspiration from Alphonse Mucha’s masterpieces like the le Pater and decorative panels such as  The Seasons (1896) and The Flowers (1898), designer Varun Bahl  focussed deeply on the intricacies in each of his attire. On the fifth day of the Indian Couture Week, he presented his collection, Dream Nouveau which left the audience mesmerised.

The models sashayed down the ramp wearing gowns in light pink and white while the chords of a piano played in the background. The highlight here was the heavy use of flowers and plants motifs imprinted on net. The collection was crafted in the balloon style of clothing of the bygone era. Making layers the hero of the collection, Bahl also used straight-cut kurtas with light-weight palazzos. He explains, “With Art Nouveau being the inspiration, we have tried to recreate a magical sequence of designs and the artistic elements with intricacies and silhouettes. Each and every design was handled as a fusion of poetry and fantasy and it will take the audience to a dreamy atmosphere.”

Bahl used an eclectic mix of ivory, pale pink, peaches, burnt orange, pistachio, red and old rose. The collection offers an assortment of lehengas, jacket anarkalis, saris, and a mix of tailored couture pieces to choose from with curvi linear patterns and asymmetrical lines.

Net work, layers, bolero, embroidery, colour tonality and lace droplets were the leitmotif running through his collection. The magnificence of Art Nouveau motifs on fabric like resham, zari, silk, tulle, and georgette created a visual feast. The gowns and the bandh gala blouses were imprinted with human faces which gave it an avant garde feel. Plain floral designs and glittery flowers on saris created the desired effect. The use of stones as embellishments was another thing that made the collection stand out.

In order to match contemporary demands of the well-travelled Indian, Bahl has used glamour and exuberance creatively to combine traditional bohemian and neoclassical jewelry. The collection saw sarees which were paired with bolero and gowns with cold shoulder cuts, which we absolutely loved.  The colours, as is often the norm, in men’s collection were in the same colours as bridal wear.

Bahl through his collections has made some serious bridal wear goals by bringing vintage back in vogue.