Weave in a tale

Was it a Tim Burton set with a humanoid mannequin having the head of a beast and a crown on his headIJ This was designer Shantanu Goenka’s version of the beast from the popular fairytale Beauty and the Beast. Giving in to his Peter Pan fantasy, the designer let the child in him run amok in his latest collection.  The fairytale characters were just the hook and pitch to get your eyeballs. Once he had it, he got down to involving you deep in his creations. 

Unlike regular fashion shows where a designer showcases his latest collection through models sashaying down the ramp, Goenka chose to keep it mute. His models for his couture collection titled Fashioning Fairy Tales were mannequins — quiet and still — giving a viewer plenty of time to pay attention to the minute details of the embroidery, from a close range.

Much like a prologue of a storybook, the entrance of Evoluzione at The Kila was adorned with whimsical installations of pigeon-head mannequins set amid birdcages and a bed of mushrooms. Each mannequin adorned ensembles in pastel shades of lilac, old rose and butter yellows with guipure lace embroidery and antique zardozi work. The dreamy entrance guided us to the fairytale lands envisioned and recreated by Goenka. 

Using mannequins as models was a concept that Goenka developed. “I wanted this exposition to be different. There is an aura about still mannequins that is mystical. Unlike models walking down the ramp, giving only a few seconds display, people can stop, see and experience the characters that I have recreated for the collection along with the garments,” said the designer.

Divided into several sections, the exposition opened with the classic representation of the European fairytale little Red Riding Hood. While the figure of Red Riding Hood was draped in a bright red lehenga her grandmother did not look that old in a pair of tulle palazzo pants, a cape heavily embroidered in red around the shoulder and a dupatta wrapped elegantly around her neck. Although Goenka did not depict a young riding hood he kept true to her character by completing the look with a golden-laced red hood. The highlight of this particular collection was, however, the representation of the wolf when he was dressed as the grandmother. The mannequin had the head of a wolf with a pair of old granny reading glasses resting on his nose. The highlight of the wolf's dress was the elaborate and pleated shoulder work that was made on the long flowing cape. 

Next stop was the episode of The Queen of Hearts from Snow White. It looked resplendent owing to its ivory palette. Although none of the characters were identifiable, Goenka explained to us that he kept the colour tone restricted to ivory because “Snow White was as white as snow.” He took us through the fabrics and the work that went into the particular line. “This collection is accentuated with resham and anchor work, floral gara jaal, lace and tiny pearls. There are also cut out blouses, layered dresses and a lot of frill works on the neckline of the delicately detailed embroidered capes,” he pointed out. 

As we walked past the world of Snow White, we came face to face with Belle, the village girl who had the compassion not only to tame a beast but also to break the spell he was under with her love. Now, according to the popular fairytale representation of Beauty and the Beast, the colour scheme was bright yellow, peacock blue and shades of purple. However, Goenka chose to retell the story in the darker shades of grey, black, charcoal and ash. While the mannequin of Belle was dressed in a cape and a kali saree in shades of charcoal and ash, the figure of the beast (with the head of a beast) was draped in a charcoal grey cape with golden shoulders.

Although this couture collection was showcased in Kolkata a few months ago, the Delhi edition had a few additions. “When I displayed the line at 85 lansdowne in Kolkata it was restricted to women’s couture. In the last few months, I had the time to design some garments for men, too,” said the designer as he walked us into the world of The Three little Pigs. The big bad wolf did not seem that mean to us, dressed in an elegant black silk bandhgala. 

We all know the story of The Pied Piper of Hamelin and have, numerous times, seen his pictures in books. But Goenka narrated his version of the story a little differently. Amidst a few figures depicting perhaps the women of the quaint town, there were models of white mice all across the floor. It looked as if they were following the music of the pipe. Unlike the red, yellow and multi-coloured (pied) clothing which we are familiar with, the designer had used several pastel shades of moss green and pink. What caught our attention was a salmon coloured lehenga with cutwork appliqué thread and mukaish work. 

With a tea table, tea cups and cakes, the Mad Hatter's tea party from Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland looked very inviting. The collection featured long dresses in hues of soft aqua, lake teal and mint. It also had saris and beautiful summer hats. Delicate floral and Chantilly embroideries, and appliqués were uses extensively throughout this particular collection. 

In this collection the designer, whose forte lies in Indian trousseau and bridal wear for women, had used shades of lilac, old rose, ivories and beige. “The colour palette is very vintage with a lot of layering. Generally bridal wear means shades of pink, red, orange and yellow but I have played with softer shades in this collection,” he said, pointing out to the multiple layering in the lehenga of a mannequin from the Mad Hatter’s party, studded with Swarovski diamonds. The figures representing princess Tiana and prince Naveen from The Princess and the Frog looked very different draped in pink and green. It was contrarian to the dark shade of blue which we associate the dress of Tiana with.  If that was a tad tough to come to terms with, we were taken by surprise to see the mannequin with a frog head dressed in a salmon pink saree accompanied with a separate cape. “The focus of the collection is on women couture so I designed a feminine garment for the frog figure," justified the designer. 

The Kolkata-based designer explained the unique exposition, “After being in the fashion industry for so long I have realised that when fashion and technology come together it opens up a door where a designer can play with his fantasy. He can explore new ways of telling a story, a fable or anything he wants to. Just as there’s a new couture for every new season, there has to be new ideas, too. It is imperative that we narrate new stories in ways which have never been explored before. That is exactly what I have done with this collection.”