The 2016 couture collection from Tarun Tahiliani is probably the *best* I have seen to date. No joke.
Our gallery has over 100 photos from the 40+ outfits of lenghas, saris, sherwanis in a dazzling array of creams, pinks, golds. Perfect for your wedding trousseau inspiration. You don’t want to miss this.
Exquisite and rich apparels were on the display with dancer Manjari Chaturvedi’s performance in the background, as Tahiliani paid homage to the fashionistas of their times, Indian courtesans, at the India Couture Week.
The designer’s collection “The Last Dance of the Courtesans” had the models sashayed down in suits, sarees, lehengas, lehenga-sarees, sherwanis, all in pastel hues of red, ivory, black, pink.
Even the men’s collection was something ethereal.
“I wanted to go back to the roots. Today, the bridal wear has become too heavy and costumy. So, I felt it’s time to go back to not just costume but to be modern. My collection was super glamorous yet modern and contemporary,” he said.
The courtesans, themselves, were style icons and fashionistas. The collection explores the possibility of a wearable lightness of being for the contemporary diva, with inspirations drawn from the finery of the courtesans. They led the fashion scene in their era. Tarun’s collection showed that the courtesans were great artists.
Heaping praise on the sufi-kathak dance, Tahiliani said that Manjari’s performance was a major part of the inspiration for the show.
“She was beautiful and a huge part of my inspiration for the show. I wanted to show that the two Indias can co-exist.”
“We have used beautiful tulle, chanderi then we have made use of Swarovski crystals. So, it’s an amalgamation of technology and art. I had to re-do one of the outfits six times because I wasn’t entirely satisfied.”
Wanting the attires to be light and airy, the color palette of pastels and pale shades and textiles reflected that idea.
“The inspiration is lightness. Today, when the pandit finishes the wedding rituals, the DJ is already waiting, so, the bride wants to put on her dancing shoes without changing her traditional wear. So, the lehenga should be such you can quickly team up with a white shirt or something else modern!”
“Wedding dresses are special. They should be used over and over again rather than being a one-time wear. So, these were the ideas in my mind while designing the collection,” the designer said.
Tahiliani hit it spot on with his couture wedding dress collection, “I love pastels and I have used a lot of pale because I feel if you do your hair and make-up nicely, pale adds a subtlety to the look. I think subtlety is what being contemporary is about.”
Grab your chai and click View Gallery to see the ENTIRE 2016 outfit collection.
