Exclusive: Designer Tarun Tahiliani On India’s Timeless Fashion, His New Lux Pret Collection And More
The sheer drama!
The latest season of Lakmé Fashion Week X FDCI brought home the flavour of summer fashion trends, garnished with luxury India. On day 2, we spotted the creations by ace designer–Tarun Tahiliani, as he painted the runway with pretty pastels. Tahiliani’s latest Lakmé Sheer Drama incorporated the richness of ivory, pale colours, twinkling embroidery and his signature subtle romance with pastels. Walking the runway for his Luxe Pret collection was actress Sobhita Dhulipala, who stood out in a fiery red, draped saree, with a semi-sheer corset and glistening hair. After his spectacular showcase, Tarun sat down with us to decode his latest collection and exactly what made us fall in love with his luxury Pret line.
View this post on Instagram
Q: The collection as explained by you is a “saree suspended in time.” Can you elaborate on that?
Tarun Tahilian: The structure drape takes from different moods that a saree can be draped and is sculpted to the body in different ways.
Q: What key features of Lakmé Absolute Lip Mousse and Lakmé 9To5 CC Light Mousse inspired this collection?
Tarun Tahilian: The Lakmé range brings beautiful translucence, sheerness, and lightness to the table. This has been tied together with elements from the collection such as layers, crinkles, and shimmer.
View this post on Instagram
Q: Considering sheer is all about owning your skin, and going bare, how do you think these products will push women to unapologetically be themselves?
Tarun Tahilian: I believe we are too complex to be defined in very specific ways. I think finding your true self, embracing and owning yourself completely is unapologetically being oneself.
View this post on Instagram
Q: Tell us something about your collaboration with Lakmé sheer drama?
Tarun Tahilian: Sheer drama is in line with Lakmé’s new launches this season, which is all about light and sheer makeup. An ode to the timeless Indian drape, my ‘Sheer Drama’ collection essays tradition in my signature ‘India Modern’ style, preserving our rich textile heritage and cultural identity, in a cerebral yet simple manner for the contemporary wearer. When you fashion a garment in your own way creates drama for me!
View this post on Instagram
Q: How does your collection find that sweet spot between luxury and pret? What are the colours, cuts and silhouettes that helped you manifest that vision?
Tarun Tahilian: The collection encapsulates a wide range of colours from neutrals, nudes, pastels, faded metallics and bursts of red. These hues have been expressed through airy drapes, light textures and structured draping combined with traditional embroidery reimagined, in non-traditional sprays and settings.
View this post on Instagram
Also Read: Exclusive: “I Hate That Today Designers Are Making Clothes For Instagram” Punit Balana On Utsav Collection
Q: Vintage fashion is the new way of embracing sustainability. Celebs in the west are paying homage to popular designers and making a conscious sartorial choice by choosing to restyle a preloved design. Why do you think Indian celebrities or the fashion industry as a whole isn’t doing so? While in contrast, age-old heirloom pieces have been an imperative part of Indian families and homes.
Tarun Tahilian: We come from a timeless culture of textile and drape and even though we might observe a rapid shift towards western notions, there are really beautiful things in this country, and some chicest people I know have a timeless style. In which other countries in the world can someone imagine wearing one’s great-grandmother’s sari or lehenga to a wedding? This is because fashions change so much and so quickly in the western world but in India this is possible and it is, in my opinion, really beautiful!
Hauterrfly is delivering all the piping hot updates from the FDCI X Lakmé Fashion Week. Follow our series #HauteFrontRow here and on our Instagram to catch the coverage!
Image Credits: Instagram
