Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Hyderabad
Drama in design
|
Nisha Jamwal makes her Chennai debut with a collection that reflects a cocktail of influences
|
THE DIVA LOOK Pooja Bedi in a Nisha Jamval creation and (below) the designer
Layers, textures and an explosion of colour. Sexy silhouettes and silver screen glamour... But surprisingly, Mumbai-based designer Nisha Jamwal's muse is today's working woman for whom multi-tasking is a way of life.
"Women work and play harder these days. They are full of strength, ambition and attitude," smiles the ebullient designer at the launch of her lines at Collage, on Greams Road.
Showcasing the best of her collections, "Sex with my ex," "Phoenix India" and "Vintage Page 3 — Woman of Substance," Nisha says her creations "capture the aspirations of today's woman to be independent and global in style and outlook." But going by form, cut, texture and colour, one can discern a cocktail of influences — from art and architecture to crafts and current affairs.
While `Sex with my ex' (in sheer fabrics and with plenty of layering) is a trans-generation line that helps women in their twenties to fifties to re-live their teenage years of freshness and appeal, `Phoenix India' is about the country's ability to surmount odds and forge ahead. The metaphor being stronger here, the lines are well structured.
`Vintage Page 3... ', with its glitter and red-carpet glamour, reflects today's woman's way of life — a workaholic by day and a diva by night. Having closely worked with different artisan groups, her works display intricate craftsmanship. Asymmetrical dresses, floor-skimming skirts, long tops, ghagras and kurtis come with elaborate embroidery, shimmering sequins and sea shell trimmings that add to the drama in design.
"In my designs, I don't conform to accepted norms of age, size and beauty. I go through figure-fluctuations myself. So my clothes are designed in such a way that they fit women from size 24 to 34. They are for free-spirited women who think young and stride over barriers with gusto," says the designer whose clothes are worn by Bollywood stars, television anchors and Page 3 people. Incidentally, Nisha kicked off the last fashion season in Mumbai, with a show for the Chris Cairns Foundation.
An award winning interior designer (studied at the Brooks Institute of Design), Nisha also pens columns on design in newspapers and journals. Her interior work at the lounge in Jaipur airport and Zeenat Aman's residence are still cited in design magazines. "I'm often asked why I pursue fashion when I have another established career. But to me, it's not a radical shift at all. Design is an obsession. I cannot see a space, fabric or canvas without my mind ticking with ideas to enhance it aesthetically. My tryst with fashion is an extension of my love for style, colour, form and fluidity. But interior design is a rather calm, secure profession. Fashion is its antithesis. You have to keep pushing the envelope and pushing yourself. But through my clothes, I'm touching more people, you see," she says with a luminous smile.
T. KRITHIKA REDDY
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Hyderabad
|
