In its third year, HDIL India Couture Week that kicks off this Wednesday, continues to see its fair share of bridalwear, and options for men, that traditionally couture isn't meant to include. Are monetary returns making India turn the definition of couture on its head
In its third year, HDIL India Couture Week that kicks off this Wednesday, continues to see its fair share of bridalwear, and options for men, that traditionally couture isn't meant to include. Are monetary returns making India turn the definition of couture on its head
Perhaps that best explains why Manish Arora tattooed 'Ladies Tailor' on his arm, and enjoys carrying the tag with a casual swagger. The Delhi designer, whose fantasy-inspired body of work razzle-dazzles coveted Paris Fashion Weeks, has rightfully claimed his creative heritage in India. 
u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0Publicity still from Monisha Jaising's collection titled,
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Back in the West, a market Arora is eager to please, the tailor is a sought-after man. An industry oiled by assembly line production holds the craftsman who offers his customer personal attention and time, in high regard. The couturier is the highly skilled among them, the one who makes original garments to order for private clients.
How different then is he from our local darzi (quality of craft not in question)? Not very, if you go by the book definition of 'couture'.
So, it doesn't bring on the jump of an eyebrow in surprise when you are told that India has quietly defied, often sniggered at the definition of couture dictated by the Paris Chamber of Commerce (Chambre de commerce et d'industrie de Paris) as, made-to-order clothes for clients, with one or more fittings.
An annual event that celebrates couture is coming up in Mumbai this Wednesday, now in its third year. India earned the honour of hosting a couture week with the launch of HDIL India Couture Week in 2008, making it only the second country to do so after Paris. That's where the similarity ends.
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We are a people of overindulgence, in the mood to shop for luxury, yes, but only for an ostentatious occasion like a wedding. Once again, distorting the traditional definition, we make a few new rules along the way.
"We can't follow international standards of Fall and Spring seasons. Our main couture market revolves around festivities like Diwali, New Years and of course, the wedding season.
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A couture week in Delhi in July followed by one in Mumbai in October is the way to do it," believes Sunil Sethi, President of Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI), the organising body behind both couture weeks.
And so, we make our own commandments.
Rule no. 1: Couture equals bridal finery. "Initially, Indian designers were hesitant to showcase wedding wear on a couture runway. The international market was favoured, and ready-to-wear was the key. But gradually, they have gauged the spending power of the domestic market. Our last couture week garnered business of over a crore for the designers," declares Sethi. And considering most other Indian fashion weeks are attacked as being showhorse events rather than trade fairs, the profits are in support of couture.
"Aren't gowns, that are traditionally part of wedding wear, shown at international couture shows?" asks Varun Bahl, who will be collaborating with filmmaker Karan Johar to present a range of occasion wear for men.u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0
That brings us to another liberty taken.
Rule no. 2: Couture can include menswear.
Traditionally, haute couture involves a showcase of womenswear only. Even the rare sight of menswear flirting with core collections at prestigious platforms like Paris Couture Week is often addressed in runway reviews with remarks such as, "Much of it could be discounted as unfocused juvenilia".
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Case in point: Lyon-born young designer Alexis Mabille's Spring 2009 Couture collection.Back home, this year's couture week roster features a string of menswear collections by Arjun Khanna, Varun Bahl and Karan Johar, with veterans Rohit Bal and Manish Malhotra throwing in garments for men in their womenswear line.
Are we then taking too many liberties to accommodate personal agendas? A valid question, we think considering India already has a five-day event dedicated exclusively to menswear.
"I agree, but we Indians like to Indianise. It's about what suits us. Technically, menswear shouldn't find place in a couture presentation. But it brings in business so we can be a bit adjusting with the traditional definition," admits Sethi. He'd like to segregate couture and menswear, he admits, but since the FDCI board includes some heavyweight designers, "there's a bit of leniency".
Arjun Khanna who is considered one of India's finest menswear makers will present a comeback collection after a two-year hiatus. It incorporates signature vintage and retro elements with an emphasis on detailing and texture.
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The clothing range will be sold to a Parisian menswear boutique after the show, Khanna shares. "Yes, there is a contradiction in definitions, when it
concerns couture in India. We have so many fashion weeks, each dedicated to a specific genre. Despite that, where is the focus?" he asks.
Like Khanna, Bahl agrees that the lines between bespoke (made-to-order clothing for men) and couture are blurring, but that's not going to take the steam out of the designer who is excited about his new line that draws classical references from the Victorian era, with rose motifs decorating rich velvet. "Velvet remains a staple in our line.
I love velvet. Karan loves velvet," laughs Bahl. The talented Delhi designer interprets
couture as something 'beautiful that allows you to take liberties'. That's a good working definition, we guess, moulded perfectly to fit what's going to unfold over the next week.
vampires
Monisha jaising
After showcasing the va-va-voom sensual Resort to Red Carpet in 30 Minutes collection last October, Mumbai designer Monisha Jaising is in the mood to cross over--to dark alleys where vixens emerge in a collection titled, From Goddesses to Vampires.
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"I saw this painting in London a few months ago, where the artist had captured three sexy female vampires in the most tactile way possible. That's when the idea took seed," the designer says about her non-showstopper collection scheduled to show at the primetime 9 pm slot on October 6.
Jaising says this is the phase of disquiet--whether reflected in the movies (hugely successful Twilight) or in art. Jaising continues her association with fabrics traditionally used for menswear (ranging from Herringbone to pinstripes), while trapezing from ethereal drapes in white, dove-grey and rose embellished with gold to intense and structured silhouettes in a night palette of black, deep purple and blood red.
The emphasis stays on "affordable couture", with Jaising admitting that the collection is targetted at her Indian clientele. "But it's not bridal wear." Noted.
Demystifying the terms
Bespoke
Analogous to women's haute couture. A bespoke garment is traditionally cut from a pattern drafted from scratch for the male customer.
Couture
Refers to fashion houses or designers who create exclusive and often trend-setting garments for women.
pr t- -porter
Ready-to-wear, mass clothing that can be picked up from stores.
custo-mised
To make or alter clothing to suit individual or personal specifications.
What: HDIL India Couture Week
When: October 6 to 9
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