Costume Drama

As someone whose love for detailing and intricate embroideries is well-known,it’s perhaps not surprising that Delhi-based designer Poonam Bhagat was approached to design the costumes for the French opera Lalla Roukh. Staged by Opera Lafayette at The Kennedy Centre in Washington DC earlier last month,the opera — written by known 19th century French composer Felicien David — tells the love story of a Mughal Indian empress,and a mysterious singer who joins her caravan as she prepares to marry the King of Samarkand. Bhagat,who ended up designing 24 costumes for the entire cast of this production (except the chorus),admits that she was overwhelmed by the response to her creations. She used Indian fabrics such as chanderi,cotton silk,velvet and brocade,which lent authenticity to the attire of the characters. The costumes also celebrated Indian heritage even as they evoked idealistic images of romance with colours such as bright pinks and emerald green. Ryan Brown,Conductor and Artistic Director,Opera Lafayette,was all praise for the creations. “The costumes created for this opera were beautiful and they fit in well with our vision for the opera,its character and music. The audience loved them as well,” he said.