Jackets and kurtas. It might sound like an odd combination. But for fashion designer Payal Prathap, it was something she saw growing up. Summer visits to her grandmother’s place would lead to her rummaging through her grandmother’s wardrobe. “She used to have a lot of waistcoats that she would wear. I’m inspired by anything vintage so I suppose that’s where I got the inspiration for this collection,” says the ace designer.
Payal’s Autumn/Winter collection 2013, which she launched at Evoluzione recently, is all about the waistcoats and jackets — and liquid volume with a collection of matka silk, taffeta, satins, velvets and chanderi silk. With kurtas and dresses with fitted upper bodices and flowy, easily draped bottoms, most of Payal’s clothes have a waistcoat or jacket incorporated into them — either through embroidery, print or actual jackets as add-ons. “In the past, a lot of women used to wear waisitcoats — either with salwar suits or kurtas and shararas. I think that’s the one thing that has always stayed with me,” says Payal. “Both my parents are from the Pakistani side of the border. So that influence too stayed with me,” she adds. The collection is aimed at the urban Indian women who enjoy traditional wear but love to give it a modern twist. Very Bohemian in style, it also has several bright hues going for it — gold, purple, wine, ink blue and orange — just what one needs to beat out grey, rainy days. But it’s not restricted to kurtas and dresses alone. There are also dhoti-style kurtas, long, anarkali-style kurtas with jackets embroidered on them, tunic dresses, cowl-draped bottoms and peplum waistcoats in velvet, Payal’s favourite pick. “There are a lot of layered silhouettes too,” she adds. Payal’s Spring/Summer collection, however, will see a lot of prints. “It’s inspired by chintz prints that was popular among the British in the 17th and 18th centuries. There will be a lot of print over prints and colour blocking,” she adds Payal’s Autumn/Winter collection is on display at Evoluzione, Nungambakkam.