Of august gold-wreathed and beautiful

Aphrodite I shall sing to whose domain

belong the battlements of all sea-loved

Cyprus where, blown by the moist breath

of Zephyros, she was carried over the

waves of the resounding sea on soft foam.

The gold-filleted Horae happily welcomed

her and clothed her with heavenly raiment.

- Demetrios Chalkokond, 1488, Florence, Italy

Sonalika Sahay in Suneet Varma Couture The Golden Bracelet 2013

24th August, 79 AD ..... Mount Vesuvius in Italy erupted with a sudden fierceness that hurled  the flaming innards of the earth 19 kilometres into the stratosphere blotting out the sun .... then unable to sustain its incandescent rage in defying gravity .... it collapsed in a shower of burning stone, superheated ash and flaming pumice ... burying the ancient Roman city of Pompeii and Herculaneum !! .... For thousands of years Pompeii lay buried, preserved exactly as it were under all that ash and volcanic material .... sealed from air and moisture in a time capsule ... a Slice of Life in the heyday of Pax Romana ! .... a loaf of bread freshly baked by a town baker ... a dog as it lay sunning at the footsteps of its masters house .... a little girl wearing a bracelet of charms to ward off the evil eye .... a tavern owner who had just made a tiny fortune by selling the nectar of the Gods to thirsty pub patrons ... a whorehouse advertising all manners of congress on its wall .... a slave girl with a golden serpent bracelet inscribed with her masters thanks of satiation .... a lady of means with her toilette of perfumes, hair pins and burnished mirror .... Just another day in Pompeii !! .... After the modern world excavated Pompeii and reconstructed life as it were on that fateful day .... it has become a fascination and inspiration to countless poets, designers and artists !!
When i saw couturier Suneet Varma's presentation on Day 5 of India Bridal Fashion Week, i immediately knew that this is one blogpost that cannot be written in a hurry .... the set, the accessories, the clothes brought alive Quo Vadis, Ben Hur, Gladiator and every Roman themed Hollywood epic i have ever seen ..... i couldn't wait to rush back home and research the story of Pompeii ... the story of the House of The Golden Bracelet, where a family of four  - parents and two children, .... were preserved intact in their palatial home with manicured gardens, breakfast nooks ( read here ).... and wall frescoes of a garden with laurel, myrtle hedges and birds flitting in the bushes ( the leaves of the plants in this well preserved fresco mural painting now showing in an exhibition at the British Museum, London, were the same as Suneet's stunning hair accessories in the show ... the gold wreathes, diadems and necklaces of bay laurel, myrtle and olive) ..... the Golden Bracelet, because of which the archaeologists named this mansion, was found on the arms of the mother, the rich lady of the house, who wore it in the shape of a two headed snake gripping a portrait medallion between its mouths (snakes represented immortality to the Romans) ..... Suneet naming his couture collection The Golden Bracelet is therefore not a co incidence ... After all he graduated in Costume History from the London College of Fashion .... by education then, here is a couturier whose sensibilities are informed by research and curiosity .... his imagination shaped by an incredible alignment of history and his own present and heritage .... That 2000 year old Golden Bracelet found on a woman in Pompeii must have fuelled his sheer artistry in the incredibly stunning accessories he designed for his Roman themed collection ..... Suneet Varma's Official Facebook Page has an album of the accessories, wherein he says …. “Perhaps what I love most about fashion is the styling of the photo shoot and the show. Very often the first image will drive the entire collection. Depending on the inspiration, I will research the period, from hair and makeup to the accessories and the mood of the times. I believe that styling and accessories always tell the best stories!” ..... Answering queries from his fans, he further says "We archive all the accessories from all the collections and shows .... sometimes bring them back out for other shows and photoshoots etc. I think I have all the accessories from 2 decades, neatly packed and stored away.... its a tedious process, but well worth it. The gold breast plate that I showed with this collection was made in 1992 ... Over the years i'd discovered that I like designing accessories almost more than fashion .... so many different materials to play with and so much to learn ... its very exciting !!" .... The gold breast plate he is referring to was showcased on model Surelee Joseph in this collection .... and previously photographed on model Shyamolie Verma from Suneet's collection, The Greek Sculptures, 1992 ..... ( the Roman gold jewellery styles were inspired from Greek and Egyptian jewellery motifs and styles)
The three themes of his clothing .... Romance, Longing and Wedding .... were inspired by the frescoes of The Villa of the Mysteries .... another archaeological gem unearthed in Pompeii ... which depicts "a ritual ceremony aimed at preparing privileged, protected girls for the psychological transition to life as married women" ..... very apt for a collection of Bridal Couture .... read his collection note below :)

Romance.
The hand painted Frescos from the Villa of Mysteries with their erotic wall paintings tell us about the evolved lifestyle of its people. These paintings inspire the Jewel toned, rich devoré velvet line with gold metallic prints and rich beaded tassels. Draped skirts with off shoulder corsets, long tunics with wide pants and cutwork saris with detailed blouses. Knitted wool dresses in black and navy, teal and maroon tunics worn with appliqué and printed velvet stoles.

Longing.
The ivory and light blue line is in long silhouettes with baroque pearls as adornment and decorated with colour on colour beading- the stylized saris as a dress worn with sheer full sleeved blouses, the tiered skirts in georgettes with corsets and net jackets. Silk knits in cobalt, coral, purple and black are draped close to the body in floor length dresses.

Wedding.
Handmade lace in dull gold, silver and grey... sheer coats, layered over skirts and saris, languid silhouettes soft on the body. Short tunics with sheer details with wide pants, rushed chiffons and tulle shrugs worn with lace corsets. The collection takes inspiration from the poetic life of the people of Pompeii." - Press Release