Veteran fashion designer Tarun Tahiliani ended the second day of the five-day fashion gala FDCI India Couture Week 2016 at Taj Palace, New Delhi, with his collection Last dance of the courtesan on Thursday.
The showcase, which was a tribute to the lifestyle — culture, poetry and dance — of courtesans until a little over a century ago, began and ended with a Kathak performance by Sufi Kathak dancer Manjari Chaturvedi, who donned a peach-pink lehnga choli and dupatta embellished with Swarovski.
The line itself was embellished with Swarovski crystals of different shapes and sizes, and the colour palette used featured ombre, sunset ombre, yellow, cream, peach, blue, orange, red and pink on fabrics like sushi voile, georgette, cotton jacquard, cotton silks, crepes and cutwork jamdanis.
Models present creations by Indian fashion designer Tarun Tahiliani during the FDCI India Couture week 2016 in New Delhi. AP
To add to the atmosphere, the designer played fusion music in the background, and a huge crystal chandelier and mogras loomed from the ceiling. Worn-out mirrored pillars completed the look.
Panelled jackets, voluminous skirts, concept saris, lehngas uplifted by opals, pearls and other crystals from Swarovski interspersed with French knots, and floral embroidery complemented messy hair buns with flowers tucked on one side.
“The music for show has been actually re-sung using the lyrics as remembered by the last of the nautch [dance] artists, now in their 80’s and 90’s,” Tahiliani said.
“Acclaimed Kathak dancer of Lucknow gharana [house], Manjari Chaturvedi, whose devotion to Sufi Kathak and tireless work in preservation of this tradition and restoration of some dignity through an appreciation of that refinement and craft is being appreciated. That world is lost. It was not, what we are used to seeing depicted in commercial cinema,” Tahiliani added.
Male models flaunted Tahiliani’s cream creations, harking back to a time when the well-dressed and handsome, rich nawabs visited kothas [courtesan houses] to see courtesans and dancers perform.
Speaking about the collection, Chaturvedi said: “It was spectacular the way Tarun brought in an old tradition in a modern format. The courtesans themselves were style icons who lead the fashion scene so many years back.
“I am so happy Tarun brought the tradition, look back to let people know that courtesans were great artists,” she added.
The five-day event runs until July 24.
