HOW TO PAIR HAUTE COUTURE WITH HIGH-STREET FASHION
(YES, IT’S POSSIBLE!)
Haute couture is the ultimate form of luxury. In France, ‘couture’ is a legally-protected term and only a handful of designers are allowed to use it. It’s a sartorial indulgence that comes at the cost of a family car you’ve been planning to buy, or your yearly salary (uh-oh!).
But, can these six-figure lehengas and cholis be paired with more humble everyday wear?
In the backdrop of the grandest fashion extravaganza and taking a cue from design houses like Chanel and Jean Paul Gaultier that are sending out models in sneakers and knee-pads for their couture shows, we present a marriage of high and low fashion that some participating designers were worried about, but all were ecstatic with the results!
SHYAMAL & BHUMIKA x A BOMBER JACKET
“The combination of the bandhani- print jacket and the lehenga looks quite unusual and quirky,” says Gujaratbased couturier Shyamal Shodhan.
STREET CRED: “Fashion is a dynamic industry, and we are constantly looking at new ideas, notions and inspirations. Street wear has no influence on Indian couture but couture techniques are used as references by fast fashion companies to create looks by mechanical automated processes,” says Bhumika.
“BREAK UP THE SET AND RESTYLE IT!” —BHUMIKA SHODHAN
GO GLOCAL: “Due to social media, the millennial shopper can easily identify the designer that he or she associates with in terms of aesthetics. In fact, Indian couture has driven many global trends. I could think of at least 10 different international designers who are using elements of Indian couture in their collections,” says Shyamal.
WEAR YOUR COUTURE WITH: “A piece from your wardrobe that’s reusable. It all comes down to how you break up the set and restyle it with a new element, which in turn makes it re-wearable,” says Bhumika.