Doing it White

The marriage of former Union Minister, Shashi Tharoor and businesswoman, Sunanda Pushkar made headlines for many reasons. One aspect which drew much speculation was the Kashmiri bride's attire, who showed up in traditional Malayali clothes: an off-white veshti-mundu.

Designer Swapnil Shinde was completely spellbound by this traditional white gold bordered sari. He first came across the specimen during Onam in Kerala and plans to incorporate the fabric in one of his future collections.“I don't use a lot of traditional handlooms but it's a very good idea to use all that vibrant gold and cream…” he said in an interview with the Hindu.

Whether it be in the wardrobe of Sunanda Pushkar or the creme de la creme of the fashion industry, the Kerala sari is all set to be in vogue next season. However, we may see an altogether new version of it, given Shinde's tendencies. When advised against presenting an over-the-top collection in the South, he declared that "Conservative is definitely not a good word in fashion. Any kind of restriction in any kind of art is not good." He feels that people are now open to daring ensembles. The veshti-mundu sari, which is at once considered an emblem of modesty and sensuality may well be in the process of evolving.

The blending of traditional Indian design on western silhouettes has been on the rise. Batik prints, tie and dye and mirror work is receiving tremendous response in Europe and the United States. In fact, one of my recent purchases was a typical Indian paisley print dress, from Belgium.

The contribution of Indian designers to international fashion is immense, and this is helping in establishing India as one of the fashion centres in the international sphere.