Taking Flight

The peacock,a recurrent motif in Arora’s psychedelic panorama,reappeared at the debut show of Indian by Manish Arora,the designer’s bridal couture line. “I look at things and get inspired by the visual imagery that they create. As a designer for Indian wear,I feel that the peacock as a motif has a lot to offer in terms of colours and grandeur,” says the designer,who gave the national bird a quintessential Arora makeover. “The motif was used in printed form and then was embroidered on top with hardcore traditional embroideries such as dabka and nakshi. Gold,our favourite,along with emerald blue was used with a tinge of blood red as the colour palette for the motif,” explains Arora.

And while the peacock may also have played a starring role in Bahl’s couture collection in 2012,this year’s DCW line saw a variety of birds fluttering on his kalidar kurtas,asymmetric peplums,diaphanous dupattas and pastel saris. “I wanted to dispel the belief that bridalwear is couture,and break away from the norm. Birds,to me,embody this freedom of creativity,” says Bahl,who focused on portraying the birds as realistically as possible,using a number of embroidery techniques and creating three dimensional textures with threadwork and zari.

While for Bahl the birds were an expression of sovereignty of thought,for Modi they played propitious messengers of change. While her Autumn-Winter 2013 pret line depicted parrots in print form,the couture collection rendered peacocks in a Baluchari weave format. “For each collection I tend to delve into our cultural heritage and I’ve seen motifs of birds being used as auspicious symbols,even being woven into matrimonial clothes. While the peacock heralded the rains and was considered the purveyor of good news,the parrot is seen as a symbol of knowledge. Whether it’s Bengal or Gujarat,bird motifs are common,only the lines of rendition and style of drawing vary from region to region,” says Modi.

For Kolkata-based designer Shantanu Goenka though,inspiration came from various cultures for his Lakme Fashion Week (LFW) festive collection. Indian,Persian and Middle Eastern influences mingled in “Kruhun”,which saw the designer delve into old paintings and miniatures. “Whether it was falcons,eagles or peacocks,birds played a big role in royal lifestyles. Hence,I incorporated embroideries inspired by bird motifs,” says Goenka,who used intricate zardozi,sequins and old gold. LFW also saw mother-daughter duo Pragya and Megha Samor’s collection “Painted Wings”,where Pragya’s paintings of exotic birds were transferred from the canvas onto fabric. While newbie designers Aiman Agha and Armaan Randhawa explored the dichotomy of black and white through appliquéd and embroidered owls,Shruti Sancheti and SVA by Sonam and Paras Modi gave peacocks their moment on the ramp.

As far as quirky prints,standout motifs and embroidery accents go,these winged wonders look like they’re all set to whet designer appetites and appeal to an expanding market of younger buyers for seasons to come. Not a fly-by-night trend,this.