Perfectly stitched attires that go beyond the reigning trends are what couturier Divya Agarwal Todi's brand Allur' has been offering to city's fashionistas for the past 18 years. Specialising in both men's and women's formal and semi-formal wear, Divya's finesse lies in intricately woven, exquisite, hand-embroidered zardosi work that's extremely high on craftsmanship. "My clothing line offers style that's impervious to the fashion trends and have a timeless touch to them. The cuts, silhouettes and designs are classy and not slaves to the diktat of the seasonal fashion. Hence they always look trendy," tells Divya, who specialises in textile designing.
To make Raksha Bandhan special this year despite the gloom due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Divya's label has come up with an eclectic and affordable range of Rakhi edit to lift up your mood. Besides, the couturier is also busy with her upcoming winter festive and wedding collection that will come up late this September. We had a chat with the elegant designer about the Rakhi collection and more. Excerpts:
Tell us about the Rakhi special collection?
The Rakhi menswear has jackets, sherwanis bandhgalas, kurtas, bundis and achkans made with cotton silk, raw silk, matka, tussar, muslin and chanderi with interesting pleats and elaborate hand-embroidered zardosi details in resham and kasab threadwork.
The womenswear has kurtis, long flowy dresses and gowns, tunics, shararas and palazzos with interesting embroidery work in pure chiffon, georgette, silk, matka, chanderi and habotai. The colour palette has been kept very summery with bright pastel shades including nude hues of beige, pink, coral, lemon green. For men, we have used hues of blues, yellows, peaches, onion pink and mint green.
What your upcoming winter-festive edit will look like?
We have an interesting floral collection and the entire line-up is being kept sustainable, ethical and eco-friendly by using a biodegradable fabric made with aloe-vera yarn. Keeping in mind the new normal, we are stressing on a relaxed fit and work-from-home, casual cum activewear including simple shirts and kurtas, tunics, easy flowy dresses in vibrant shades of Old Rose pink, mint green, yellow, peach and orange.
All the colours have been derived naturally from onion peels, avocado, turmeric, manjistha and orange peels. The attires will have a smattering of simple applique embroidery embedded with embellishments.
For festive occasions, there will be light, floral lehengas, kurtas, achkans, sherwanis, jacket kurta setsand other essentials.
Keeping the pandemic in mind we have also come up with nice matching floral masks in three-ply, breathable pure cotton.
We are also offering bespoke masks along with the Rakhi attires once you choose them.
Any tips for fashion during pandemic?
Wear straight-fit clothes with simple frills-free silhouettes and avoid layerings.
Price on request.
Check out Allur's collections on their Instagram and Facebook pages, or you may pay a visit at Divya's studio by appointment. They also make contactless delivery on order.