Artwork inspire Tarana Masand
Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The embroidery design is definitely what is unique from the collection of Indian couture designer Tarana Masand.
Inspired by centuries-old artwork, such as mughal paintings, it beautifully embellishes clothes that are a fusion of Indian and western outfits.
Floral or geometric motifs decorated kurtha (traditional Indian blouses), spaghetti strap dresses and short tunics result in an ultra feminine and delicate collection.
"I took them (the embroidery design) from different sources ... could be paintings, wallpaper or mehndi design. And then we translate it into clothes. The artwork is a very important aspect for my design. That's my specialty," Masand told The Jakarta Post recently during an exclusive exhibition at Shangri La hotel.
One of the highlights of the exhibition was this dazzling traditional Indian wedding dress, a two-piece dress whose top is adapted from the 15th century corset. The whole dress was adorned with mughal flower embroidery in Swarovski crystal.
Instead of the usual red, the dress came out in greenish blue, with shades of yellow on the lower part of the skirt.
"Indian brides are now fed up with traditional colors. For the wedding ceremony, they still use red and orange. But for the reception, they are now more into English color, like this one," said the 28-year-old designer.
An apprentice with some of the leading names in the world of Indian haute couture like Abu Jani-Sandeep Khosla and Sangeeta Dasai, Masand later joined MTV India as a stylist before launching her own label, Tarana, four years ago.
Based in Bombay, Tarana's signature is prominent in the feminine silhouettes that are chic and sensual.
"I'm more into traditional clothes, combining it with modern silhouettes and trendy colors. So that young girls can also wear it without feeling old. On the other hand, the old art works and embroidery make it timeless, so people can wear the clothes now and keep it," she said.
Right now, Masand is particularly focusing on artwork from the mughal era, the emperor when the Tajmahal was built.
"Because there are so many beautiful art from that period, like mural flower that we incorporated it into the cloth. We also took a lot of European arts, from early Roman and Byzantine period, and adapted it to the motif, particularly flower, tree," said the graduate of fashion school at SNDT University in Bombay.
The colors of the clothes exhibited are mostly very bright, with a lot of fuchsia pink, orange and sunshine yellow -- in line with the latest trend.
While weaves and textures are significant to her style, pure fabrics like georgettes, raw silk and brocades are Masand's all- time favorites.
"I love georgettes, particularly, because it's plain and simple. We want to express ourselves in terms of fine embroidery, so we need simple material," she said.
As they are top-round couture design, Masand's apparels range from US$200 to US$3,000. The latter is the cost of a wedding dress, which Masand said, is a big market as an Indian wedding requires a lot of clothes.
Aside from local Indian customers, she receives a lot of enquiries from Dubai, and also Indian people in Jakarta who often purchase her designs in Bombay.
Despite a staff of 30, Masand said she was still stretched.
"It's a complicated and long process (to make clothes). If you place an order, it'll take us some two to three weeks to finish it. We have to order everything, order the fabric, and make sure that the quality is first class," said Masand, adding that she believed in highlighting the personality of her clients on an individual level.
According to her, fashion scenes in India, particularly in Bombay and New Delhi, were very dynamic, and there was a lot of competition among good designers.
She still has a dream, however, to penetrate western countries.
"There has been offers from a couple of stores in London. The thing is I have to go there by myself. While I'm still very busy with all the work in India. Maybe later," Masand said.