It's the Bombay
Indian influences spice up the runway.
By Sarah Casselman
Shown: HERMÈS Spring 2008. Photography by Peter Stigter.
From New York to New Delhi, the fashion world is having a Bollywood boom. Labels like Hermès, Costume National, Jean Paul Gaultier and Giorgio Armani have cross-pollinated the East with the West, blurring their influences in a kaleidoscope of colour, accessories and trends. The result? A dazzling mix of Mumbai-inspired must-haves like sari-style gowns, opulent silk and chintz fabrics, rows of glinting bangles, and a juicy palette of lime green, orange, butter yellow and bright pink. And with the recent launch of Indian Vogue, there is even more buzz about South Asian style.
But this isn’t the first time fashion has carved out a place for India’s intricacies. Madame Grès’ spiralling drapery was based on her Indian sojourn in the 1950s, and the Fall 1985 couture collections of Yves Saint Laurent and Karl Lagerfeld’s Chanel both evoked that hot subcontinent.
John Galliano’s Spring 2006 collection for Christian Dior was also inspired by his trip there. Dior’s interpretation included the liberal use of batik, mirrors, bold embroidery and splashes of high-powered pink, dubbed “the navy blue of India” by legendary editor and icon Diana Vreeland.
This season’s ready-to-wear collections mixed luxe boho references with traditional Indian fashion, as seen in Hermès’ lambskin turbans, drapey dhoti pants and silky tunic-trouser sets, Etro’s paisley-print pieces and Costume National’s gold metallic tunics and light-as-air saris.
Even designers like Bill Blass and Oscar de la Renta, renowned for their Park Avenue princess following, have woven Indian accents like handmade embroidery into their fete-worthy frocks, and luxury jewellers like Cartier are besotted with traditional Indian craftsmanship and locally sourced gemstones.
But the real style star this season is the sari — simple, luxurious and oozing understated sexuality. Traced back as far as the Indus Valley civilization (2500 to 1700 bc), this traditional garment has different regional versions distinguished by fabric, draping style and motifs. Today, the sari stands out as a bright beacon of style in a sea of basic black. Perhaps Gaultier was right when he said, “Colour is life.”
First published in FASHION Magazine May 2008
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