FA SHION
Tahiliani and his team getting creative in one of the nooks of the building.
somebody. The way it hangs on your body, the way you can move, the way it caresses you, is paramount.
Fashion works on many different levels: on a basic level, you are covering yourself for modesty or the elements. The next level is how it livens up your life a little bit…luxury is purely what it feels like.
Finally, luxury is the connect between who you are, and your ability to dress that way. Luxury is being able to express yourself. Does it sit right, does it feel right, does it belong to this time and most importantly do you revel in wearing it?
NOV — DEC 2012
-sales. There weren’t even dress rooms. You had to try your clothes over your existing clothes, the tailoring was terrible and people were making the transition from wearing saris to tailored clothing.
Today the younger generation in their teens and early 20s, will wear micro miniskirts and think it is fine. There’s much more freedom, and exposure to the world. But in a way that’s good because it’s creating a revival of India. Everyone rushes out there and wants to be western and then comes back to their Indian roots.
Have we moved on since?
What role do you think fashion plays
in shaping a city’s contemporary culture?
Oh I love Delhi. I moved here from Mumbai, which no one from that city can understand. First of all I love the fact that there’s a 1000 - year-old history and all these monuments and amazing parks. There’s so much culturally, there are so many interesting people. I love the seasons, I love the trees and the birds. It’s a great city because it has space.
Luckily because of Indian fashion, especially bridal – people want to be very Indian. So how does India get reinvented in its contemporary way? I feel I am Indian when I speak in English but if I am going to make a shirt then I want it to fit as well as a western shirt would. But the work will be Indian, and the tailoring should be as good as what you can find anywhere in the world. The Indian should never be a compromise or an excuse to be chalta hai. That’s not okay. We come from the oldest, greatest civilisation.
Your take on Western influences in culture
and fashion?
How do you think fashion in our country
has evolved since you started?
Your affinity for Delhi’s heritage is well
known. Not too many people move back
from Mumbai…
unfortunately, in India, because of our colonisation, I think we had to become westernised to get ahead, so we started speaking different languages. Three days back I went to Laila Tyabji’s house who is the founder of Dastakar. In the entire house, not one thing was brought from abroad. It was the most exquisite home I have ever seen. She only wears handloom saris and depending on the colour, matches them with chappals and beads. It’s so feminine and beautiful…she just wears kajal and to me that’s great Indian style.
There are a lot of influences from the West. Let me just backtrack – the Italians love to be Italians; the French love being French…
When we opened Ensemble, there was sticker
shock because at that time people were used
to shopping at boutiques, or at exhibition-cum
I think fashion is super important. It’s one of the signs of vitality shall we say, because in a contemporary culture, what do great cities do, what do they have? They have a lifestyle; the city provides the lifestyle and what does lifestyle mean? It means how people live and what they pursue in their free time…the restaurants they visit, theatre, sports…in the historical mode it’s about how they celebrate and that is where fashion is always a big ticket. Delhi is also sort of becoming the fashion capital just like Mumbai has always been the film capital. You have a strong summer and winter, so you need different styles. It’s also becoming a destination to shop for your wedding because most of the designers are here – it’s a bit like Milan in that respect.