The heat, dust and traffic snarls of Masab Tank give way to quiet as we step into the gates of a palatial, old house. The house belongs to a friend and one that designer Gaurang Shah felt would be an apt location for a photo shoot. The shoot in progress is for a ‘look book’ of his new collection, Calico, to be unveiled at Lakme Fashion Week Summer/Resort 2016 in Mumbai on March 31.
His team has taken over the spacious foyer and the halls of the mansion for the shoot. Gaurang tells us that Calico is his homage to the printed, cotton fabric that’s said to have originated from Calicut in the 11th century.
He’s taking a detour from his previous collections, primarily ornate saris. “Last year I did an extensive collection of saris showcasing rich textiles and intricate weaves. I felt the time is right to change,” says Gaurang. There will be saris, 12 of them, but 28 gowns will take precedence.
Each gown has three saris tailored together. Gaurang’s weavers used 120 count fine khadi and the tree of life is woven using jamdani technique. “One normally thinks of the hand-painted, kalamkari Tree of Life. We’ve used contemporary interpretations of the Tree of Life motifs,” he says.
The jamdani weaving process is labour intensive, with each of the 12 saris to be showcased taking seven months to weave. The palette ranges from mild yellow and mint green to deeper hues. The saris and the gowns are bereft of embellishments, with the jamdani weave doing all the talking. There’s interplay of textures in the warp and weft. “For some saris we’ve used khadi by khadi, in others we’ve tried khadi and muga, khadi and organza. We’ve tried variation in textures for the motifs as well. One floral pattern may use dupion silk and another, cotton,” he explains. From Mughal floral motifs to paithani designs, there’s a combination of elements.
Keeping with the idea of Calico, the saris and gowns play to the vintage theme. Gaurang refers to the 1920s in his use of motifs, colours and detailing with box prints. The 12 saris will be draped in royal styles of 12 states. Think of Maharani Chimnabai of Baroda’s signature Nauvari drape, with a long jacket blouse. Or a sari draped like a gown, reminiscent of the style attributed to Suniti Devi, Maharani of Cooch Bihar.
The gowns follow the silhouettes of the Belle Epoch period. Using 28 to 30 metres of fabric for one gown meant using fine, light fabric and deft tailoring. Gaurang shows us a gown with a khadi-jamdani blouse portion with a flowy gown made with kota silk. “For gowns made to fit a 28-inch waist, 28 metres of fabric were used, one metre per inch. The tailors took a week to do the pleating,” he says.
The gowns are all made from khadi-jamdani saris. Gaurang took stock of all the khadi-jamdani saris he had at his seven stores and grouped the ones that had similar colours and themes.
Gaurang is among the tribe of designers that’s adamantly showcased saris and garments with hand-woven fabrics. There’s a steady and good patronage for handlooms, he says. “Give people variety — in colours, motifs, techniques — why won’t they embrace it,” he smiles.
