When we were invited for the making of the look book for designer Charu Parashar's Autumn Winter 2013 collection by our friend Ananya Abrol, a talented lifestyle and fashion photographer ..... little did we know about the journey we were about to embark on ...... It is one thing to view a runway collection and write insipid details with ones limited perspective of the designers creative process .... It is truly wonderful and magical when one has the chance to understand the conception and execution of a collection with a commentary by someone as passionate and intelligent as Charu .... We at Delhi Style Blog invite you to take a journey of a story starting with the Theban Necropolis of ancient Egypt ...... to the Arabesque art of Islamic architecture of the 9th century ...... to the Renaissance art movement of the fag end of the 16th century in France and Italy ....... to the soundtrack of Max Kestner's movie "Copenhagen Dreams" by Johann Johannsson, an Icelandic music composer who tells the story of a lonely city, the melancholy of its inhabitant's fragile life, and the sadness of passing life ...... Are you with us yet ? Hahahaha .... You would be wondering .... its just a bunch of clothes .... whats up with the elongated history lesson ? ..... But have you ever wondered why high couture garments are so "wonderfully" priced ? .... Why are certain Fashion Designers so coveted ? ..... Why should a frivolous confection of couture fashion even matter ..... in a world of recession, economic stress and general apathy of a busy life ? ..... The answer dear readers is literally blowing in the wind ..... High end Fashion Designers are essentially dreamers of beauty and everything that is beautiful in this ephemeral world .... They weave the stories of events past into collections where you are reminded of the golden years of human achievement ..... and you connect with history, heritage, art and culture in a single piece of garment pregnant with all these motifs !!

Charu Parashar Autumn Winter 2013 by Ananya Abrol

This Autumn Winter season Charu Parashar takes you down the lane of romanticism and glam. Out and out an evening collection signifying over the top bling and edgy ensembles. The USP of the collection is the print which is inspired by the tombs and ceilings of Egyptian palaces. The tile work of these tombs transcends into the base fabric of these beautiful prints, and the intricate embroideries running all through gives a rich and dramatic feel to the whole collection. Utilitarian design in an artisan direction focussing on functionality and supreme craftsmanship is Charu's take on her Autumn Winter 2013 Collection. - Press Release

Charu Parashar taking a bow after her runway show AW 2013 WIFW

Charu chats with Delhi Style Blog :

"Usually I sit with a board and a pen around 3 - 4 months before the collection .... Decide on the basic points I want to emphasize .... I wanted it to be glam, over the top bling, little bit futuristic, but edgy .... Second thing which is very important to me is the print, I wanted the print to actually exuberate luxury .... For that the base has to be very structural, floral mixed .... So if you see I have taken the prints from the Egyptian time of the Theban Necropolis and the French Italian 16th century .... The prints were not there ... These were basically the walls, vases, tombs ..... motifs of the Mehrab flowers and the geometrical patterns of the Egyptian tombs ..... Colour palette .... Grey is very in vogue for the next two seasons .... I wanted to use a matt tone ... and add colour to it .... orange merging into mustard and grey .... lot of my collection has appliqué work ... That is one of my USP ... This is mainly a diffusion line .... We try and keep a price bracket which is suited for a diffusion line anywhere in the world since we sell a lot abroad apart from home ... It is most suited for evening wear and red carpet"

The Prints : The tiles of the Theban Necropolis in Egypt has been an inspiration to the Arabesque decoration of Islamic Art of the 9th century with its geometrical motifs .... and carried on to Mehrab flower motifs of the Renaissance Age, when the first soft-paste porcelain vases were produced in Rouen, France ..... The highly stylized floral motifs borrowed from Ottoman art were copied extensively in Renaissance Italy .... Multiple series of interlinking circles towards the end of the collection, reminds one of the Flower of Life motif in the Temple of Osiris in Egypt.
The Fabric and Silhouette : The Fabrics used are Silk,Satin,Georgettes, Velvet and Chiffon. The silhouettes are very edgy and structured with Engineered shape and integral structure. Embroidered Pants are the highlight of the collection. On the whole the collection is very high on details and is ultra contemporary with details like side zippers to the trousers , Jackets and Tunics with applique work , quilted shorts , satin printed Blazers, shift dresses and gowns giving it a dramatic red carpet feel.
The Embroidery: Every Garment has been treated like a work of art starting with the richness of these print fabrics as base , it has Nalki work with extensive use of Resham and Metallic Sequence geometric patterns.

The Collection

Charu Parashar Autumn Winter 2013

Charu Parashar Autumn Winter 2013

Charu Parashar Autumn Winter 2013

Charu Parashar Autumn Winter 2013

Charu Parashar Autumn Winter 2013

Charu Parashar Autumn Winter 2013

Charu Parashar Autumn Winter 2013

Charu Parashar Autumn Winter 2013

Charu Parashar Autumn Winter 2013

Charu Parashar Autumn Winter 2013

Charu Parashar Autumn Winter 2013

Charu Parashar Autumn Winter 2013

Charu Parashar Autumn Winter 2013

Charu Parashar Autumn Winter 2013

Charu Parashar Autumn Winter 2013

Charu Parashar Autumn Winter 2013

Charu Parashar Autumn Winter 2013

Charu Parashar Autumn Winter 2013

Charu Parashar Autumn Winter 2013

Charu Parashar Autumn Winter 2013

Charu Parashar Autumn Winter 2013

Charu Parashar Autumn Winter 2013

Charu Parashar Autumn Winter 2013

Charu Parashar Autumn Winter 2013

Charu Parashar Autumn Winter 2013

Charu Parashar Autumn Winter 2013

Charu Parashar Autumn Winter 2013

Charu Parashar Autumn Winter 2013

Charu Parashar Autumn Winter 2013

Charu Parashar Autumn Winter 2013

Charu Parashar Autumn Winter 2013

The Look Book

Photographed for Charu by Ananya Abrol .... Ananya is one of Delhi's most prolific and talented photographer and has been doing collection shoots for various Fashion Designers for consecutive seasons .... Watching her at work was a privilege .... and her unbeatable composition, lighting and frames are the reason why her signature photography is coveted by the high fashion world :)

Ananya Abrol for Charu Parashar

Ananya Abrol for Charu Parashar

Ananya Abrol for Charu Parashar

Ananya Abrol for Charu Parashar

Ananya Abrol for Charu Parashar

Ananya Abrol

Glimpses from making of the Look Book 

Ananya Abrol director and dictator of poses ;P ... Shima got a neat shot :)

Lee View puts the war paint on !!

Avijit Paul ... Team Charu is super efficient :)

Shima shadowing Ananya :)

Wait a minute ... you cannot look tired ... you are the model !

Avijit has a sharp eye of experience !

Shima was literally sticking to Ananya like a conjoined twin , great shot !

Team Charu Parashar , the boss lady is very well loved and respected :)

Runway Music

Johann Johannsson's track "A Memorial Garden on Enghavevej" lets its central piano melody flow between relentless minimalism and a music-box prettiness and opens Charu's runway show .... It is from the soundtrack of Max Kestner's docu film "Copenhagen Dreams" .... It provides a surreal backdrop to her collection with the sense of time past and its golden moments ... Hear it for yourself  :)



Charu Parashar Autumn Winter 2013 is a diffusion line .... "A diffusion line is a secondary line of merchandise created by a high-end designer that retails at more moderate prices. These ranges are separate from a fashion house's "signature line" or principal artistic line that typically retail at much higher prices. Diffusion products may be on sale alongside designers' signature line but they can also be made available at concession outlets and certain high-street stores. Diffusion ranges serve several purposes for designers. They can substantially increase sales volumes as their products become affordable to a wider audience at the lower price point, with the designer at the same time leveraging the desirability of their premium ranges to create a kind of halo effect. They can also be a response to offset the effect of high street stores copying their products and undercutting the designer's prices." - Wiki

Charu is currently participating in the Whts In Luxury Exhibition at The Kila, Mehrauli, Delhi till 24 th of March, she can be contacted at "press@charuparashar.com" .... go and have a look .... we for one loved our journey ... it was a master class in how to appreciate a designers creative process ... do tell us your impressions :)
Hope you enjoyed the post, until next time,
DS