After Hrs delves into plumes’ growing prominence in bridal wear...
Spring 2018 couture runways saw a glittery fury of feathered kaftans, plume head-gears and tuft trimmings. Couturier Elie Saab was inspired by the Gatsby glamour and his show gloried thanks to the fluttering quills. On the other hand, Zuhair Murad referenced the Native American motifs extrapolating plumage to fantastical effects. His models sported plume-inspired eye make-up along with feathers accenting models’ hair. Ralph & Russo’s partially-veiled beauties too sported them. In India, designers Falguni and Shane Peacock have been penning the feather saga for years now and this season, feathers were seen on the runways of Manish Malhotra, Ridhi Mehra, Namrata Joshipura and many more.
In a country synonymous with zardozi and gota patti, feathers have assumed towering proportions in bridal and occasional wear space. With more and more weddings happening overseas and brides and their entourage of bridesmaids wanting something lightweight-yet-statement for their wedding functions, it’s not hard to understand their popularity.
Stylist Divyak D’souza says, “Indian couture has always relied on surface texture for dramatic impact and a feeling of opulence — appliqués, metallic accents, even embroideries. Feathers are an interesting modern take in that direction for sure. Personally, I feel a wedding outfit should transcend trends, and bet on a classic. It’s just fail safe but with destination weddings and multiple functions fast becoming popular, it’s always nice to throw in a look or two that’s current and have fun with your trousseau mix.”
One’s keen to explore the debate if feathers are the new zardozi.
A distinct-yet-delicate narrative
At the recently concluded Amazon India Fashion Week, designers like Pallavi Mohan and Siddartha Tytler were all about how you could combine feathers with crystals for subtle glamour. FDCI blogger Asmita Aggarwal says, “Feathers have a very distinct-yet-delicate narrative. They are light, frothy, fun and add an undeniable charm to an outfit unlike the traditional stiff and heavy zardozi. However, the bigger picture is that fashion also needs to reinvent the wheel so they pick things which they can twist and turn to get a more interesting take. This is an offshoot of the ’20s era which saw flapper dresses with feather fringes for easy movement and a bit of swing.”
Fun addition to bridal vocabulary
Fashion writer Nishat Fatima opines that nothing will ever be the new zardozi, not in India. “Feathers are a fun new embellishment that have become a feature on international runways over the past two years, and it’s not surprising that we are seeing them in India, as well. At the moment, only a handful of Indian designers are using them, but since that number includes the influential Manish Malhotra, it’s possible we will see more of them. The other part is that Elie Saab will be seen more at Indian weddings, too. However, while I think they are a fun addition to the bridal vocabulary, they will flourish in addition to the zardozi embroidery and the crystal embellishments, not instead of them,” says Nishat.
Archana Walavalkar, CoFounder StyleCracker seconds that. “Fashion today is moving towards a more comfy, easy and wearable space; so while embroidery weighs you down, you’d rather have bridal wear that you can dance all night in,” says she.
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