What one man can invent another can discover — goes a famous quote by Sherlock Holmes. It only seems appropriate that we borrow that line to describe a whole collection inspired by the famous fictional character, which was showcased at the Pearl Academy Graduation show on Tuesday. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle might have invented the character, but the detective’s style statement was rediscovered at The Park by a fashion student, who even made it a point to prop up the models with a magnifying glass, a cigar, a wooden stick and a chain compass — all reminiscent of Holmes. If anything, the makeover was definitely not ‘elementary’.
Now, if Sherlock could inspire fashionistas, why not the famous Suits series and its courtroom scenes? Models dressed in black and white bodycons sashayed on the ramp, raising glam quotient of the modest courtroom uniform by several notches. The audience, which included the proud families of the graduates, on either side of the ramp, turned paparazzi, clicking pictures of their children on their phones.
Courtroom apart, the over-an-hour-long show saw graduates showcasing works inspired by unconventional objects such as a dream catcher — a handmade object decorated with feathers and beads, and known to keep bad dreams at bay, according to native American culture — and a skateboard among others.
Titled Miami Beach, Sanjana Sruthy Kirthy’s collection was inspired by the life on Florida coast, the highlight being the popular skate subculture there. The graduate, who also won the Best Design Collection at the show, said, “I have always had passion to work in denim line and Pearl Academy gave me proper guidance. The faculties, especially professor Anitha Pathania, took me on the right path. My men’s collection keeps in check the functionality, wash and print, and incorporates swag style from the skate.” The other winners at the show included Lakshmi Sunayana for Best Contemporary Indian Ethnic Collection — a kid’s collection, Shirin Pachmeriwala for Most Practical Collection Award, and Sanah Sharma for the Best Innovative Design.
The show, choreographed by well-known fashion designer Sunil Menon, also saw models sporting tight short skirts and wrap-arounds in bright yellow and orange colours — a collection inspired by Tibetan culture — and dresses with delicate black leaf patterns, inspired by the play of shadows in the moonlight. International fashion photographer Andrew Adams and designer Rehane were also present.