Suravika Singh's label Velvet Dori's winter-festive edit Nuance is all about understated elegance
Couturier Suravika Singh's creations are mostly a reflection of her inner emotion and are true to her observations. "I strongly believe clothes are not about what you wear but more about how they make you feel when you wear them. This makes you decide if you like the look or not and that feeling is always the centre of my inspiration," says Suravika, whose label Velvet Dori resonates with the aspirations of the urbane young woman.
This 5-year-old homegrown label specialises in minimal pret and contemporary Indian ensembles. And her festive-wedding edit Nuance too has a range of lightweight, glamorous and hassle-free clothing options.
"My design philosophy is simply to create something that would make you stand out. I love to evoke confidence in the wearer from within through our ensembles," says Suravika.
Nuance offers a variety of old short kurta styles with a contemporary fusion twist. There are hints of old Hollywood charm, a subtle retro underlay with the feathers and glass bead tassels . A close look at each silhouette displays its distinct drama while channeling the modern fits through sheer fabrics.
Suravika has gone with soft pastels and dusty deep tones to set the mood for this collection. Nude hues with berry pinks, olive with old silver, dusty lavender with quartz, pale orchid, quail brown and inox blue are among the few shades she has chosen. The detailing comprises geometric patterns in lycra nets and double georgette.
"I feel blings like sequins, beads and even feathers have really made a comeback besides easy-to-wear silhouettes because comfort is key after all," she says.
So, for the upcoming winter wedding festive season Suravika feels the wardrobe essentials must consist of a nice pashmina shawl since it goes easily with everything. One can even ditch the traditional three-quarter silk blouses for a gorgeous faux fur bolero which keeps you warm and looks great too.
"When it comes to hunting for wedding trousseau, I always advise my clients to not overdo it since trends and styles keep changing with every new season and collection. Buy enough for just the coming season. But a traditional suit, sari, a cocktail drape sari are a must besides a comfortable pair of wedge heels to go with them all," she suggests.
In Suravika's eyes, fashion is evolving towards a more experimental zone and becoming more sustainable and size-inclusive for sure. "The ethnic and Western fashion trends are getting more seamlessly connected and we are seeing an increasingly wider presence of Indian designers and Bollywood celebrities and influencers in the West and vice versa," she observes.
Suravika forecasts that the spring-summer fashion trends next year will be ruled by bright colours like oranges, corals, pinks and mint green with more co-ords, and rhinestones on soft fishnet mesh fabric besides the refreshing summer prints.
"Currently, I am working on our spring-summer pret line Minimal which will have some very interesting options in a bright summer palette," she signs off.
Price on request. At 84 ND II New Alipore, Block E. Instagram: @velvetdori.