Designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee in collaboration with international favourite Christian louboutin launched his Bater collection and created buzz on Day 1 of Amazon India Couture Week. From the sombre palette of blacks and gunmetal to ivory and oxblood, Sabya managed to mesmerise all. By TEAM VIVA
An eerie abandoned mansion, the chirp of the nocturnal crawlies followed by grave symphonies, played host to the grandeur and opulence offered by designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee with his collection Bater at the Amazon India Couture Week 2015.
No bride in this country can do without a Sabyasachi in her collection. And there is no designer who perhaps understands the core of a flesh and blood woman better than him. This is one of the reasons why he has emerged as our foremost wedding designer despite all the flamboyance by peers around. He has not only unleashed the hidden woman but also kept her rooted to tradition through his incredible modern twists of artistry.
His collection was philosophical and potent and though not strictly meant for nuptials, presented modern men and women, resplendent and nurtured by embroidered layers of centuries-old crafts traditions. And they strutted out tall with their newly acquired identities, stamping their takeover of couture as we know it with embellished red-soled louboutins.
The collaboration between the two couturiers — Christian louboutin and Sabyasachi — was possible after they met at the latter's store in Mumbai. The conversation then steered to Calcutta and the two then became friends.
The show embodied the circle of life theme, of which yin and yang are an equal part, emerging from Gothic ruins and destruction talon-like, in shades of black, navy blue, paling out to grey and brown and then spurting with life in ox-blood red. He chose the metaphor of a quail, often hunted as prey and game, fragile in its streaked coat of overlapping feathers (represented in the baroque excess) and hiding in jagged corners and shadows of the backyard. Yet it is resilient in flight despite being fodder for human greed. As shamans use the quail feather to invoke the supernatural, the show was all elemental with bold monochromes and an elegant structure emerging out of chaos.
His brigade first took to ramp in sombre hues of black and gunmetal with much edgier embellishments. A zardozi embroidered black cocoon overcoat with a lehenga skirt, full-sleeved asymmetric crochet blouse with a tulle cape, fish-cut lehengas and a sheer mini dress with golden flower zari motifs and comb pattern were the highlights.
“Bater is one of the most common hunting birds here in India but it has a lot of resilience. I wanted to do a collection which was inspired by hunting birds and prey. I wanted to keep it dark, gothic, sexual but with very fine intricate Indian embroidery,” shared the designer.
“We used a lot of hand embroidery from different parts of India. There was zardozi, badla, resham, Parsi, et al. All sorts of old Indian embroidery but interpreted in a modern way of geometrics, flat lines and linea. From us it was kind of a new expression,” Sabya added.
Transitioning to greys and ivory with even more regality, the models sashayed in gold-sequined long V-neck dress, dull grey sari with silver zari border and blouse reminiscent of fish scales, badla-embroidered A-line lehengas with shoulder capes and and sand-coloured robe with intricate copper and gold work paired with churidar.
The men came out in embroidered jackets, long coats and gossamer chadors wrapped casually around their multi-textured sherwanis and bandhgalas. The women, in fluid silhouettes and cuts that sat neatly on the body rather than the body fitting into them, were a masterpiece of Sabya's art project. Amid the droopy loops of an abandoned ruin, they gave the sari its most European carriage, with fish tail bridal trails, see-through layers, each having a distinct character and embroidery, fringed capes, asymmetrical and sleeveless jackets, and fabric textures of every kind enveloping her arms in concentric folds. This was not just the cocktail bride, this was the modern Indian woman giving competition to the classic elegance of a Western gown or a pencil pantsuit. And yes they glittered, with the shimmer of the coat of a quail. Sabya's woman has been high street enough. But with the Bater, she wears her depth on her sleeves. literally. Best part: All his drapes are meant to flatter all body types.
louboutin, who landed in Delhi just a day before Sabya's shows said he felt “absolutely revived” after witnessing the affair.
“It was a beautiful collection and, of course, I knew Sabyasachi's work but had never attended his show. It is a fantastic collection and for me a great experience. I loved the set and the outfits. It was done exactly how it's done in Paris,” said the ace footwear designer.
Sabya called louboutin his “show-stopper”. “He's dressed up the most famous women from all over the world and therefore for me he was the show-stopper”.