Alia Bhatt dons Manish Malhotra's 'PORTRAITS' at ICW

21 Jul '14

3 min read

Manish Malhotra unveiled his newest collection, ‘PORTRAITS’ at the India Couture Week over a spectacular show at the Taj Palace Hotel.

An ode to femininity and heritage, Manish Malhotra’s ‘PORTRAITS’ derives its inspiration from the innate desire to capture moments of beauty and make them timeless.

‘PORTRAITS’ frames the tales of the neo-bride in a stunning tableau of colours, fabrics and silhouettes. Much like her vibrant personality – vivacious yet demure, opulent and simple, traditional though steeped in modernity, the collection is a beautiful play of picture-perfect juxtapositions. While the fabrics and silhouettes appeal to contemporary sartorial sensibilities, the detailed embroidery is reminiscent of Indian craftsmanship of yore.

‘PORTRAITS’ is a reflection of how the old and new come together to narrate an enchanting fable that will be admired down the generations a fable that follows a bride on her special day, from the boudoir to the auspicious ceremonies and onwards to her marital home. Each moment from ‘PORTRAITS’, presents the essence of this day in intricate detail.

Speaking about his inspiration for the Couture collection, Manish said, “PORTRAITS as the name suggests is an endeavour to translate the magic of a bride’s most special moments and weave them into a tactile expression. The collection is reminiscent of past eras and hallowed traditions but is conveyed in the language of today. I was inspired by the Indian neo-bride whilst creating this collection. She is a woman of today – individualistic and inspired, yet elegant. And these are the very qualities that she seeks in her trousseau.

In keeping with this, PORTRAITS integrates vintage embroidery in gold dust with jewel-toned colours to recreate a play between then and now. I have always been fascinated by the ethereal touch of Kashmiri Zari work and this collection sees intricate embroidery by some of the region’s master craftsmen. Some of this detailing has taken over Four months to develop, bringing to life different expressions of ‘Gold’, from antique vintage gold to old-world yellow gold and more. The Zari coupled with elaborate ivory thread-work are set against a back-drop of luscious beige and grape-wine silks to emerald and ruby red velvet and tule. For indeed, what is a portrait without attention to detail!”

Elaborate vintage motifs, delicate Kashmiri embroidery, old-world mirror-work, cleverly arranged sequins all brought together in architectural simplicity work their magic across the collection. In keeping with the Manish Malhotra signature style, the collection is crafted in velvet and silks with the colour palette ranging from soft shades of beige and gold, salmon pinkto hues of rust orange and red. The structured silhouettes coupled with the flowing fabric lend ‘PORTRAITS’ a regal elegance.

The collection also showcased ensembles for men, which in keeping with the inspiration included a confluence of old-world and modern elements. Structured, traditional long kurtas came together with details like pleats and high collars to complete the look for bridegrooms. The colour palette was made up of beige, white, ivory and maroon, with gold detailing and intricate embroidery completing the picture.

Alia Bhatt and Aditya Roy Kapoor walked the runway in a beautiful red Lehenga and an elegant beige and gold sherwani jacket respectively. Huma Qureshi, Urmila Matondkar – wearing Manish’s creations - graced the first row at the showcase.

Manish Malhotra

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