With jewel-tone fabrics, personal take on classic resort silhouettes and revival of ancient hand-printing techniques, Anupama Dayal's designs are pure bohemian glamour steeped in Indian craft. Her muse is a globetrotting woman who puts effort into what she packs on vacation and if the "I need all of this now" spontaneous response from guests at her opening show at Delhi Times Fashion Week is indication, the designer should have a hit on her hands!!
This season, her collection themed 'Sundari' was steeped in influences from the textile craft of Rajasthan; from the first look, it was evident the showing was a sumptuous distillation of Anupama's strengths — a contemporary take on classic textile craft! The girls' languorous sensuality could be felt in each look, where a delicate swing of the hip or sensual tie-up had power to chain the wearer's beau! And as the show progressed, I loved the way she used gota patti and mirror work, native to Rajasthan, on short kurtas, lehengas and saris in pop colours—fringed with tassels handmade by women in Munirka village… the designers efforts to empower them with sustainable income.
The potpourri of classic silhouettes, handcrafted embellishment, pop colors, and tassels was perfectly calibrated into a playful, artisanal and globally relevant collection. Polished, chic and perfectly pitched for the bridal- festive season ahead. I couldn't help thinking how Anupama had evolved her playful style into a more grown-up design aesthetic and it brought back a recent conversation with her, ''Creativity can flood you with happiness and it's a very healthy route to finding joy. I feel blessed to have this! That said, I keep my signature style fresh each season. As a friend, you know that it's about working on ourselves every single day. By doing that, hopefully we add something, we improve something, we reinvent something while staying ourselves; if we don't stay ourselves, you would have no use for us.''
— JASMEEN DUGAL
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