NEW DELHI: What flourished in the 18th and early 19th centuries with remarkable modernisation and radicalisation, has resurfaced to create a style statement soaked in the resplendent colours of history. Art Nouveau movement, that pioneered in Europe, went on to take different forms as it travelled far and wide to take its decorative and graphic palate to the discerning. It trickled into Indian shores too, with a great stimulus to be explored further.
To re-explore the time, fashion designer Varun Bahl recently decided to launch a full-bodied collection inspired by Art Nouveau and its various interpretation. The time is just right as June is being celebrated as Art Nouveau month. Antoní Gaudi and Ödön Lechner, the doyens of the movement passed on, on June 10, 2013 and since then it has been a day of remembrance for them. Bahl has decided on bringing the glorious period alive once again.
The word design went through a re-design when the movement donned its modernist colours. Previously followed patterns were falling apart with the emergence of Art Nouveau sensibilities. “It was all about living an artistic life and its patrons lived it to the fullest. As a couturier, I too embrace the arts in their flourish. With the movement’s dedication to beauty in all forms of expression, it appealed to my aesthetic sense strongly. From sinuous curved lines to finger ferns, from roses, lotuses, and irises, to jewel-like butterfly wings inspired by stained-glass windows and peacock feathers, we have reinterpreted some of Art Nuveau’s most enduring motifs in techniques,” says Bahl. These are set on fabrics such as silk, tulle, and georgette.
For him, every thought he picks is inspired by distinct areas within the movement including poster, interior and jewellery design. His silhouettes are influenced by empire lines, flowing trousers, throw-on jackets and panelled tunics. “Instead of using these inspirations directly or looking to their defining characteristics, we attempt to capture their essence and apply it to our brand of aesthetic with hand-embroideries and digital printmaking technologies,” says the designer.
The colour palette is a mix of ivory, pale pink, peach, burnt orange, and old rose, with hints of pistachio and navy for contrast. Lehengas, jacket anarkalis, saris, and a mix of tailored couture has been readied from Bahl’s design factory. “You have experiments with hand embroideries that play between voluminous, structured, and layered silhouettes,” he says.
It’s wearable art that’s reminiscent of a time that landmarked a shift in thinking. It paved way for new thoughts to emerge free of orthodox controls. It continues to be re-visited to be re-invented again and again.