HYDERABAD: Varun Bahl, known for his innovative design aesthetic, takes inspiration from the Art Nouveau period to create a series of vintage floral stories. Inspired by Chezh Art Nouveau painter and artist Alphonse Mucha’s masterpieces—like the Le Pater (1889), The Seasons (1896), and The Flowers (1898)—the collection has utilises of the artists’ traditional bohemian influence and neoclassical motifs. The range plays with curvilinear patterns, asymmetrical lines, and floral and plant motifs.
The collection was exhibited at Elahe store in Banjara Hills Road No.10 recently and the colletion will be exhibited for the next two-three days.
The collection offers an assortment of lehengas, jacket anarkalis, saris, and a mix of tailored couture pieces to choose from. Varun experiments with hand embroideries that play between voluminous, structured, and layered silhouettes. The magnificence of Art Nouveau motifs on fabric like silk, tulle, and georgette creates a visual feast.
Through his designs, this couturier aims to enhance the beauty of the modern woman who revisits her tradition for a combination of classic and contemporary styles with exquisite craftsmanship. The designer borrows from art, and blends a vintage idiom with modern execution.The colour palette is an eclectic mix of Varun’s signature ivory, pale pink, peach, burnt orange, pistachio, red, and old rose.
Varun’s future plans include coming up with a few flagship stores.Varun believes in calling his struggle a learning experience. “Of course, when are a new-comer, you face lot of struggles but I guess when you are true to your work and continue to give it your best , your dreams come true,” he says.
Varun, who doesn’t follow trends but his own mind and heart says the trend according to him is strength. “I feel the biggest strength is not to follow any trend blindly. I think it’s all about individualism, that is the biggest strength. What looks nice necessarily on a mannequin may look disastrous on someone. You need to wear your personality. When you buy an outfit, you can take help of a stylist who is more experienced,” he advises.
He prefers an attractive yet isolating environment while designing his collections.
It took about six to seven months for Varun to work on this collection. The price ranges from `52,500 to 7 lakh.