How TT made the saree drapes cool

There are many designers who can make women look thinner or prettier Tarun Tahiliani seems to have the ability to make them appear more interesting This month it will be 25 years since the 57yearold designer launched his eponymous brand in 1995 but he seems decidedly casual about the legacy Legacy is too pretentious a word I hope our best work is yet to come Introducing new ways of wearing things is a legacy emulating the past is not he saysTT as Tahiliani is known in the industry is much more than just a designer or a brand He is an institution within himselfPriyanka Chopra Jonas wearing Tarun Tahilianis threepiece corset saree with pleating and sheer silk sculpted collar at a fashion show in the city recently Pic courtesyTarun TahilianiTahiliani founded Ensemble Indias first multidesigner boutique in 1987 with his wife Sailaja and the late designer Rohit Khosla Three years after opening Ensemble in Mumbai and barely a year into launching his design studio Tahiliani left for New York in 1991 to pursue a course at the Fashion Institute of Technology I wanted to learn to cut and drape back then nobody could They could barely make a sleeve in India he explains Tahiliani returned to India but chose to settle in New Delhi instead of Mumbai a city where he grew up I felt it Delhi was a little more Indian as you know I am not very Bollywood centric I like the seasons I also like culturally what happens here and we work a lot with the craft belt in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan as wellHis first real challenge was more prosaic It was initially difficult to explain the concept of patterncutting or draping a stitched garment to the tailors because they were all male he says in between deep laughs Structured draping began in earnest in 1995 its outline and purpose further probed polished by branddefining collections such as the New Democrazy 2010 Kumbh 2013 and Kutch 2016 I think all great design studios find solutions based on what people need or what you are trying to do at that moment And thats how structured draping and lightweight couture began for us focused on fit and comfort If I wanted a churidar style replacing the nada string in favour of a zipper was the logical thing to do Same with the petticoat Everything is driven by the idea of fit and we like fit he addsThe New Brocade tableaux photographed in Tahilianis factory in GurugramTo appreciate what continues to make Tahiliani a relevant designer twoandahalf decades on you first need to understand his India Modern design identitymdashan exuberant dance between the present and Indias heritage of draped form and tradition of artistry Its what keeps the cooler consumer interested Having your individual style does not mean you have to be excessively Western or excessively Indian Theres got to be the real thing Unless designers can provide that who is going to do itAs it happens there is nothing new about the Indian drapes that frame a body into an hourglass yet Tahiliani was a modernist in the way he looked at womens figures Where corsetry instead of a choli created a static airless ideal of a womanly shape Tahiliani worked with seams stretch and drape to put India Modern right into fashion He is also the designer who scandalised the sarees graceful decorum when he spoke in favour of Priyanka Chopra Jonas and the actors choice to wear his garmentmdasha sequin gota and Swarovski sareemdashwithout a blouse on the 2019 July cover of InStyle Theres nothing vulgar In fact not using a choli makes it a global statement he had saidA blend of bonding fusing and draping creates the classic TT saree gownNow on the verge of the next quartercentury Tahilianis approach is a kind of hyperrealism I dont want to change for the sake of changing The plans for next 25 years are more broadbased he says alluding to the launch of the readytowear pieces Were a classic brand and within that we want to create accessible clothing line with our collective knowledge of the India Modern drapes and structure Here a tad of embroidery is enoughDebut showIt was in 1987 when Ensemble opened in Mumbai A bunch of us including Rohit Khosla Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla Sunita Kapoor and I hosted a salon couture show each one taking turns to showcase a range of six outfits at 10minute intervals We were all slightly prudish and even scandalised since we had never been backstage before The show was in March and the airconditioners had started failinghellip Seeing me nervous Rohit handed a compose pill to calm my nerves laughs Anil Kapoor whose wife Sunita was one of the designers at the show couldnt get in through the traffic jam that had clogged the streets outside the store We must have been mad when I think about it We were just a few babes in the woods says TahilianiOf Drape amp BrocadeThe disciplined drapesIt was sometime between 1992 and 1993 that we first introduced the chotu saree but we never took credit for it It wasnt ours to claim Everyday Id drive to work and see Maharashtrian women in a saree with their hemline pulled up it simply made chores like walking or using the lavatory less burdensome It all starts with Indian drapes and within that we have created versions that represent India in a very modern way like the structured sarees draped dhoti trousers saree gowns or sarees teamed with jewelled Tshirts The structured drape in jersey with a tailored gilet is my standard concept saree its a choli and its a saree but theres no mixing no pleating and it has freed a lot of womenThe new brocadeIts not that I dont like handloom textiles but in most cases like the brocade the fabric is rather thick which adds to the stiffness of the outfit It takes years of washandwear for the brocade to achieve certain lightness and that dull look We started developing our line of brocades five years ago where we treat them to industrial methods of predistressing a lot like your prewashed jeans And it has worked I love the dullness of it Our fallwinter occasion wear line features a bodysuit in brocade drape while the pockets and cinched waist gives it a nice fit We also have a long duster jacket with cigarette trousers in brocade available with an optional tie and beltmdashyou can wear this to a wedding a garden lunch or to a nice dinnerCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates