Pallavi Mohan opens ‘Not So Serious’ flagship store in Delhi
Designer Pallavi Mohan launched her flagship store, “Not So Serious” in Mehrauli, New Delhi earlier this month.
The designer felt the need of welcoming her clients with the same warmth and ease as she would welcome a close friend into her home. So when brand directors Pallavi & Sidharth Mohan, on the brand’s 10th anniversary, created their flagship store, they took the design principles of a house and incorporated those in their store.
Pallavi says, “The visitors will first see the garden, then they will move towards the wooden pergola and into the house’s open verandah. The idea is to bring people into familiar surroundings, let them nestle into a comfortable sofa and engage with the brand at leisure. One of the recurring themes of the brand’s recent collections is a quirky ‘Alice in wonderland’ theme. So the design team chose to espouse this through interesting accents sprinkled throughout the store—whether the framed looking glass, the eccentric hares, clouded mirror paneling.”
Anica Kochchar, the architect who designed the store speaks to Guardian20. She says, “When Sidharth and Pallavi Mohan came to me, we came up with a few keywords that describes the brand and the ethos of “Not So Serious”, of which whimsical, feminine, airy and playful were a few. The idea also needed to begin a journey as this is the first flagship for the brand. We came up with a story that started in the garden of a home. The space is a manifestation of that. Then the studio worked on the details of the space and the material palette which would bring luxury, and yet an ease and playfulness to the space. From the time of conception of the idea to the actual finished fit-out I believe the process took about 12 weeks.”
Feminine, young and quirky designs define the aesthetics of this brand. Pallavi while describing about the brand says, “The brand endeavours to constantly break the mold and create an individual style statement. We believe that simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.”
Pallvi talks about the new collection at the store. She says, “The store offers something for everyone. For occasions as diverse as a luncheon with friends, friend’s wedding, your own Sangeet or celebrating special occasions with your family we offer a great mix of products. With the launch of the flagship store, we have ventured into two new segments—Festive wear and Kidswear. I have specially curated a collection for the store and kept limited pieces; a mix of festivewear, the signature pret line and the kidswear.”
There is the presence of signature embroidery techniques in fun experimental and wearable styles in the latest festive wear collection. Silhouettes include cropped tops with sarees, long jackets and embellished skirts, and easy-to-wear lehengas. Pallavi says, “We believe that today’s bride shouldn’t need to restrict herself to the traditional silhouettes and colours. Being modern yet quaint, she has the liberty to experiment with tasseled capes, embellished shirts with the showstopping voluminous lehenga. She can team the long flared jackets with pencil pants. We have tried to give this collection a very young and fun vibe that the today’s confident and contemporary bride can embrace. We also offer customisation for the festivewear and my designer team will always be available on appointments.”
Currently, “Not So Serious” is the only store in Mehrauli catering to kidswear, which also forms the USP of the store. The kidswear comprises of “mini me versions” of the couture line including sequinned gowns, A-line dresses, skirts and crop tops.