Turkish curtain call

The models were ready, the playlist was finalised and ace designer Suneet Varma was all set to bring the curtains down at the BMW Bridal Fashion Week. But what the audience was not ready for was walking into the main stage area which looked like the interior of the Topkapi Palace in Turkey. The stage beyond the ramp showcased the architecture of the Ottoman Empire. 

This was Varma’s first finale in 15 years. His collection titled Couture — A love Story! drew inspiration from the grandeur of the Ottoman Empire, made more grand with the poetry of Omar Khayyam playing in the background. 

Taking cue from Turkish tapestry, Varma created old world floral prints paired with velvet touches and baroque embroideries. “I took a host of silhouettes ranging from tapered coats, tiered skirts, asymmetric tunics, studded bra cholis, and tasseled sarees for an eclectic trousseau selection,” said Varma, who kept his lehengas heavily embroidered with crystals and pearls. 

In the words of the designer, “The collection speaks volumes about the art and literature of Persia — the romantic poems, the lyrical motifs and the intricate yet mesmerising architecture of a bygone empire. I chose this particular theme because it was one such empire which excelled in its architecture and culture in Turkey flourished during that time.” 

For the final show of the five day fashion week, Varma divided his 60 piece collection into three segments. The show started with a colour palette of dark Persian blue with touches of ivory, beige and pale pink. This collection, Varma said, is called Arzu or desire. “The Ottoman Empire introduced the Persian blue to the world so it was but natural to open the show with that colour. Plus, the mixture of blue and ivory is dreamy,” said the designer and pointed out to the silhouettes of the collection which were long and flowy. “The embroideries are in resham and zari and the patterns were inspired from the tapestries of the palace,” he added. There were also floor length coats which were paired with tiered skirts, long tunics teamed with shararas and crop jackets in velvet with zardozi borders.

Varma’s next set of collection was titled Azia or precious, and aptly so, because the colours that dominated this line were soft pastels of peach, rose, beige and moss green. There were a lot of kasab thread embroidery in gold and silver with beads and kundan stones. The designer paired long kurtas with shararas. What caught our attention was a stunning two piece saree in silk georgette with jaal embroidery all over.

A splendid collection of saree gowns and lehengas in Banaras silk jacquards with pearls, gold ribbons and Swarovski crystals brought the curtains down. Titled Ahibba or A Beloved, the line also had knee length kurtas replete with metallic embroidered works all over, cutwork blouses encrusted with pearls and beaded tassels bordering gold and bronze sequin sheeted sarees. We also noticed a few long, floor length jackets in gold teamed up with skirt and stoles in shades of peach and rose. Maroon, fuchsia pink and vermillion were the colour palette for this collection.