WHITE is the colour of purity, innocence and serenity. But can it be festive, dressy and formal too, especially in the Indian context, without looking vapid and colourless? That is what city-based designer Sanchita Julka set out to explore this year, in her spring-summer collection, called Floraison.
“The word literally means, ‘to bloom’ and comes from the phrase, ‘To bloom where you are planted’. But at the same time, the prime subject of each of my garments is the woman herself — her persona rather than the different roles she has to play in life,” offers the couturier, who studied product design at NID, back in 1992.
Sanchita uses an amalgamation of Indian fabrics including cotton, Chanderi munga with elements of Indian cultural heritage, Benarasi weaves, gota and Kutch work, dabka and cutdana work — which is all styled for a chic, contemporary look. “I would love to make classic pieces which uplift the Indian heritage but in order to appeal to the masses, one also needs to make the collection look trendy,” she explains.
We notice an off-white A-line skirt with a crop top, with kutch work and tubular bead trimmings. A pink leheriya dupatta adds a dash of colour to the garment, making it look festive and colourful, despite being a simple cotton skirt with frilled pleats and lumpee work. “Off- white itself has a rich, classy look and it can be enhanced with patchwork and tassels. It is also a basic need for the summers and this part of the collection is specifically meant for a day-wear look, for occasions such as haldi, mehendi and sangeet,” adds the couturier.
There are other designs of asymmetrical kurtas, in crushed cotton, textured cotton shirts with a divided skirt and crushed ghararas. We notice a full-length jacket in crushed cotton, with a churidar and white inner which seemed to give away a traditional yet sleek look. There is a belt-like attachment at the back, to keep the look structured.
Sanchita plays with different patterns of angarakha, and Mughal-style neck patterns in anarkali with cotton fringe embellishments on the sleeves and cutdana work around the yoke. There are semi-casuals too, like a box-pleated, high-waisted skirt in green imported satin, with Chanderi crop-top with surface elements, a criss-cross texture created through stitching, with pink embroidered flowers in each rhombus-shaped panel.
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“Fashion, I believe is an art form with scientific logic. But it should be wearable and comfortable too. Fashion, for me, is not about blindly following a trend, but creating something that suits and enhances your persona,” suggests Sanchita.
We notice that despite her Indian wear in whites, there is a separate party wear collection too, suited for summer. Consider an off-shoulder crop-top in rose dust with a lehenga in embossed fabric, and satin palazzo pants with a sari-like drape in georgette, a perfect blend of Indian and Western wear. There are even satin jumpsuits, with long capes, for those who can carry it with elan.
Price starts at Rs9,000 onwards.