In the age of liberal maximalism, we are now embracing broad and big ideas, in politics, society, and people. In the mix, fashion is making its own BIG statements as well.
Fashion in its most liberating form is free, fun, funky and flamboyant. While this side of the industry was once exposed only to the esoteric, there are a few who never shy away from being over the top! And since the ‘today’ celebrates all things big and bold, here is a round-up of our favourite big timers who make the most outrageously beautiful statement not just in runways but also in life!
Giambattista Valli: Rules of ruffles
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If you are still reminiscing over Deepika Padukone’s Cannes look where she took the red carpet through a train gown and layers of neon, you have designer Giambattista Valli to thank. Valli has always celebrated femininity through tulles and larger-than-life silhouettes. An Italian-French fashion designer, Giambattista Valli’s love for impossibly gorgeous gowns is a constant. While most of the time he plays low with prints, the designer embraces OTT/ with his supersize volumes that create just the right amount of drama.
Sabyasachi: Grandmaster of Mega-Wedding Extravaganzas
What does it take to be a Sabyasachi bride? 3,720 man-hours and 110 embroiderers (at least that’s how long it took to make Priyanka Chopra’s ravishing red wedding lehenga). When there is an OTT lavish wedding, there is a lavish wardrobe and who better to turn to than India’s dream couturier Sabyasachi. Involved in every possible Indian high-profile wedding, including those of Isha Ambani-Anand Piramal, Anushka Sharma-Virat Kohli, Asin-Rahul Sharma and of course, the iconic DeepVeer, Sabyasachi’s lehengas weave into couture emotions. A Sabyasachi wedding gown is like an heirloom; trousseaus that one will keep forever or pass down to their children.
Tomo Koizumi: Fairy-tale Proportions
One of the most sensational designers of NYFW this year, Tokyo-based Tomo Koizumi rode to fame in one day with his début collection that skyrocketed his Instagram from 2000 followers to over 24k followers in two days. Tomo was spotted by Katie Grand, a celebrity stylist, who impressed by his collection, immediately arranged for him to showcase it at the Marc Jacobs’s Madison Avenue store. The show had top names like Bella Hadid and Rowan Blanchard walk down the staircase wearing rainbow confectioner-like dresses that dropped jaws. At first glance, the collection might be something that you’ll roll your eyes at with a “who’d wear that” but it takes an artist to look at art. Koizumi uses over 400 colours of Japanese organza, making the ruffles first and then machine-sewing the ruffles together to create a garment. The average piece of fabric used ranges from 50 to 200 meters!
Viktor & Rolf: Message Received!
No one could have missed the meme couture that filled our Instagram feeds with models wearing giant gowns that read slogans like ‘Give a Damn,’ ‘NO, trust me I’m a liar,’ and so on, striding along the runway. With whimsical dresses that take a weird and wonderful twist on fashion, Viktor & Rolf is a fashion house which specialises in creating conceptual and avant-garde designs. While the designer house is used to making political statements in their sartorial choices, this year saw the loudest of them. The ramp had models wearing dresses that were at least three times their size and looked something out of a comic book. But each dress screams out a social voice that has to be heard and the designers believe in wearing your statement on sleeves, literally!
Judith Leiber: Monarch of Minaudière
Turn to Oscars, The Mets, or any red carpet event to easily spot a Judith Lieber handbag. This jeweled minaudière is favoured by the famous and the fashionable and is a celebrity must-have from the Kardashians to the Kapoors. Judith Leiber was a Hungarian-American fashion designer and businesswoman who had been designing handbags for more than 56 years. With thousands of crystals embellished, the bags take shapes of everything from a kitty, puppies, candy dispenser, cupcakes, fries, burger, soda cans, lipsticks, and even a Cinderella carriage. What is more extravagant than their designs is their price tag. A small pillbox hardly the size of your palm will cost you at least four to five lakhs.
Sophia Webster: Shoe-ting Star
“Give a girl the right pair of shoes and she can fly,” and for shoes with wings head to Sophia Webster. This feet-fairytale designer is relatively new, but flew to popularity with her feminine, fancy and fanatical design. Sophia Webster is most known for her butterfly winged Chiara heels. Browse through her candy-land webpage to find rainbow sneakers, embellished PVC slip-on, Fur stilettos, snakeskin boots and occasionally all of it in one masterpiece. This young shoe designer has won the hearts of many with her playful sense of foot couture.
Gaurav Gupta – Geometric Grace
Surrealism is not a new term in fashion. Taking inspiration from modern art, high fashion can take on a whole other dimension; Gaurav Gupta’s collection is a perfect example. With geometric precision and sculpting techniques, Gaurav Gupta’s clothes are always out of this world. Whether it’s by switching fabrics like georgettes, tulles, silks, neoprenes or velvets, to pushing the boundaries of sculpted womenswear and progressive menswear, GG has always identified himself more as a surreal artist than a designer.
Manish Arora – Shades of Wow!
Forget the runways and couture, Manish Arora as a person will easily be the quirkiest and most colourful presence to be spotted in a crowd. His colour palette is completely in sync with the vibrancy of India. The explosion of hues in each garment from neon green to pink to pastel blue all combined in one jacket or shirt, Manish has been taking on OTT way before it became cool. His collections have always represented his love for all things extravagant and bright. His iconic 3D dress “The Circus” which resembles a carousel was featured in this year’s MET Museum NYC exhibition.
