Gowns are fast becoming the in-thing as far as weddings are concerned. No longer an exclusive privilege of the well-to-do, gowns, with a touch of Indian embroidery and mirror work, are being preferred by middle class families as they not only suit their taste but are also in sync with international trends. Rita Gangwani, who chaperones brides in picking up outfits for their weddings, says, “Indo-Western gowns are the most popular. These are a mix of ethnic Indian combined with Western dress. In wedding gowns, we see Indian tassels or mirror work or embroidery whereas cocktail gowns are plainer.”
The gown is a versatile garment that allows wearers to experiment with their accessories and stilettos, making them more common in big fat Indian weddings rather than everyday parties. In the 1970s, when the word ‘gown’ was little-used in the lexicon of Indian socialites, couturier Adarsh Gill was putting her signature on the outfits to dress up Hollywood icons like Jacqueline Onassis and Uma Thurman. She set a new benchmark and inspired other Indian designers to follow suit.
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Elegance and simplicity have been part of her design basics. “It all boils down to what the occasion is. The gown has to be structured around that,” says Gill.
Gill, who mastered her skills in Western outfits while studying abroad and later retailed in prominent stores in the US such as Saks Fifth Avenue, Bergdorf Goodman and I, Magnin, says: “I feel gowns make a very elegant and fashionable statement and are easy to wear and carry. We need someone who has a good walk and posture to carry it. They fit like a glove and flatter the wearer’s figure.”
She has also crafted Indian heritage on Western gowns in an unobtrusive way, creating a niche for ethnic fashion in the segment.
But Gill is modest about her achievement. “The motif and embroidery on gowns is universal. Similarly there is no technique to make gowns, it’s a universal silhouette. The cuts, motif and embroideries remain the same. It totally depends on the person buying the gown how she carries it,” she says.
Payal Jain, who has been dominating the Indian fashion scene for 25 years, adds gowns to all her collections because she believes they enhance the feminine form. “I create gowns by weaving Indian textiles and then doing printing, embroidery or tie-dye on them. I don’t buy textiles and then create garments. Even if it a Western gown, it will be in silk,” says Jain.
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Occasionally she works on machine-made gowns that lean towards monochromatic and solid versions with delicate detailing, tone-on-tone embellishments and simple yet flattering silhouettes.
Each season’s collection needs to have a distinct look in terms of fabrics, colours, silhouettes, embellishments and embroidery, says Jain. “Creating gowns with each of these looks, season after season, without letting monotony set in is a big challenge. So there needs to be freshness in colours, treatments, drapes and shapes,” she adds.
Interestingly, gowns are Payal’s personal favourite when it comes to wearing an outfit for formal evening wear. “I feel they are elegant, sophisticated, understated and feminine. They complement the female form tremendously and make a strong style statement.”
Cocktail with twist
Pallavi Mohan has translated gowns from evening wear to marriages by doing away with georgette, tulle and chiffons and introducing chanderi, velvet and silk. “The structure and silhouette of garment remains same. However, as we change fabric and embellishments - that is where the magic happens. Your old-fashioned evening gown becomes a wedding outfit.”
She has gone in for experimentation in order to make long flowing garments relatable to Indian sensibilities.
“We highlight the plush fabric of outfits, which include velvets, special jacquard from Korea, silk, and a lot of handloom. The traditional touch is given by using jacquard loom, where we play with different techniques such as laser cutting, quilling, cord work on traditional materials like dafka and zari in a manner that it will look traditional with a modern twist,” says Mohan.
Blending with East
Having spent most of her career making gowns for her foreign clientele, Gill is now of the view that gowns are suitable for today’s Indian women. “Gowns are designed for our women who are self-confident, sophisticated and fashionable,” she says. “A gown is a nice new change where working girls don’t have to spend hours to drape a sari and it’s just perfect for a sangeet function. Brides these days want to look different. A lot of people today are well travelled and exposed to gowns and find it more convenient to carry.”
