The Changing Face of Indian Fashion

Mohini Boparai Guleria

Mohini Boparai Guleria is the director of merchandising & creative at Exclusively.in. A graduate of TU Delft University, Mohini moved from Amsterdam to New Delhi in 2004 to start Boparai Architectural Services, an architectural and design firm. After eight years of being in the business, she decided to join forces with her then-fiancé as a partner on Exclusively.in. Mohini is also the founder of Charity100, a not-for-profit feeder school for underprivileged children.

Tarun Tahiliani and Preeti S Kapoor designs

Indian fashion is is ever-evolving. With so much culture attached to our fashion sensibilities, Indian wear is all but dull. Mohini Boparai takes us through the revolution of Indian fashion with her experiences. 

When I decided to shift my focus from architecture to Indian fashion, I came onto the scene with two things in mind:

1) The immensity and richness of Indian culture and tradition and how everything we do is deeply rooted in it, and

2) The increasing number of affluent Indians all over the world.

When these two factors come together, for example, at a wedding, tradition becomes sheer opulence. We all know what the Big, Fat Indian Wedding looks like. Such a wedding, which stretches on for several days, usually serves as a vehicle to show the community how you’ve flourished.

The Rise of the Modern Bride

Yet, the stereotypically decadent wedding has perhaps left many weary and looking for something else. In his essay for Business of Fashion, Imran Ahmed writes, “The rise of the modern bride is contributing to an incipient, but noticeable shift away from opulence and excess… this shift poses potential challenges for many of India’s top designers, who have built their businesses on the country’s bridal market and who have become accustomed to charging whatever price they fancy.” The Indian sensibility has changed and with it, Indian fashion has too.

The rise of the modern Indian bride is contributing to a gradual yet firm shift away from the opulent extravaganza to a more refined and globally on-trend way of doing things. The typical Indian wedding outfit has always been heavy, studded with diamantes and intricately adorned with zari embroidery et al. However, today many brides-to-be have realised less is more, and are moving towards less ostentatious wedding outfits. Not that the latter isn’t expensive. It’s just that the Indian bride today is more chic.

Less is More

She has a global approach because she sees the entire world around her; she’s up-to-date and her ideas about marriage and tradition have expanded. She might belong to a very small fraction of society, yet it is interesting to see how her changing attitude towards the wedding is trickling down into mainstream Indian fashion. Anita Dongre’s recent Jaipur Bride campaign comes to mind here. In the video, we see this Jaipur Bride clothed in the most beautiful lengha-choli, while she looks at the world on her iPad. In this depiction, there is no tense contrast between her Jaipur palace and the technologically advanced world she inhabits. The young bride no longer has her head covered with her dupatta and goes stylishly minimal with her accessories. She is sexy, intelligent and no longer coy. 

AZVA, Rohit Bal, Raghavendra Rathore

Virtually Global

Although many designers prefer the ultra-ethnic for their creations, one still notices a subtle shift in their palette and ornamentation. I think we are moving further and further away from the bling of the 90s, the kind depicted in extravagant Bollywood wedding scenes of that time. A new aesthetic is dawning, shaped by a more global understanding of the world. With e-commerce, anyone can get their hands on a Sabyasachi sari, no matter where they are. The Indian designer doesn’t cater to just local buyers anymore. He (or she) is seeing a demand from across the world. 

When I sat down with designer Gaurav Gupta, he said, “What we’ve done with the sari is we’ve made [it] much more approachable, in the sense of styling; and it’s much more comfortable to wear. And we’ve kind of made it very global. It’s like the new Indian global voice.” This ‘new Indian Global voice’ has undoubtedly had a major influence on how today’s designers look at Indian wear. From colour palettes to more contemporary silhouettes (the sari gown being a big trend at Delhi Couture Week last year), designers are no longer shackled to the age-old ideas of what a sari or lehenga should look like. They dare to break the rules.  

Today Indian designers do not create in isolation. They’re aware of their global audience. After all, it’s very easy today to retail online. 

Embracing Culture

It gives me immense joy to see how the world is embracing Indian fashion and craftsmanship. At Anthropologe, a popular US retail store and e-commerce platform, you will regularly find clothes by Indian designers who are creating contemporary fashion for a non-Indian audience. Here you will find designs by Ranna Gill, Rohit Gandhi and Rahul Khanna applying Indian craftsmanship to non-Indian silhouettes. 

Still it is very early to truly define what contemporary Indian fashion is and what it will become but what we can safely assume is that there has been a considerable shift from what it was even a decade ago.

Rulers of Baroda – Early Pioneer Motorists

A peek into the Maharajas’ stunning collection of over thirty bespoke Rolls-Royce and Bentley cars befitting their great wealth and taste.

The rulers of the State of Baroda, India were early pioneer motorists and in the early 20th Century took an increasing interest in the motor car products of Rolls-Royce. The Maharajas amassed a stunning collection of over thirty bespoke Rolls-Royce and Bentley cars befitting their great wealth and taste. This article demonstrates their bourgeoisie and the Rolls-Royce motor cars enjoyed by H.H. the Maharaja Sir Sayajirao III of Baroda and his Grandson and heir, Major General H.H. The 'Maharaja Sir Pratapsinhrao Gaekwad of Baroda.

His Highness Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III was one of the early pioneer motorists. In the records of Messrs. Turner, Hoare & Co., engineers of Bombay, they exhibited Renault and Peugeot cars at the 1903 Delhi Durbar (the occasion to celebrate the Coronation of King Edward VII). Many native princes purchased cars from them including H.H. the Gaekwad of Baroda.

Montague Grahame-White aptly recounts in The Car of 25 February 1903, “One instance of the number of carriages arriving by train at Delhi Station, which will give the reader some idea of the magnitude of the traffic, when the Maharaja of Baroda brought with him 117 carriages and three times the number of horses, two huge elephant carts, a LiFu Steam Wagonette, and two small motor cars. By no means is this a solitary example of the conveyances brought by each maharaja attending the Durbar."

When the Motor Union of Western India proposed to hold reliability trials in 1904, His Highness offered a handsome silver trophy known as 'The Gaekwar's Cup'. This prize was for the car which undertook the trials with the least number of voluntary stops over a distance of 880 miles between Delhi and Bombay from 26-December 1904 through 2-January-1905. It is interesting to note that S F Edge sent out to India a 20 hp Napier that was driven in these trials by Basil Johnson, the brother of Claude Johnson, who was to play a major role in the formative years of the Rolls-Royce Company.

Records are scanty as to other makes acquired by the Baroda State Garages and sent to India or retained in Europe but they included at least two French De Dietrich cars and a 191045-50 hp Mercedes Landaulette by Brainsby & Sons. The following list of opulent and prolific cars owned by the Gaekwad’s, is a testament to their insatiable zeal: 

• 1911 Silver Ghost (Chassis 1721) Barker "Whitmore" Landaulette in dark blue with cloth upholstery with ivory interior handles. This is most likely the car rebodied as a Tourer by the French Motor Car Co. of Bombay in 1916 for Prince Dhairyashilrao.
• 1914 Silver Ghost (1AB) Hooper open-drive Landaulette in dark blue with grey silk brocaded upholstery. Nickel fittings. Reg: R-1959.
• 1914 Silver Ghost (60LB) Colonial L to E, H J Mulliner Open-Drive Landaulette in maroon with fawn cloth upholstery Nickel fittings. Reg: R-2349 (Formerly owned and restored by the author, now surviving in America). 
• 1919 Silver Ghost (36LW) Rothschild Open¬ Drive Landaulette with nickel fittings. 
• 1920 Silver Ghost (55CW) Barker Tourer finished in French grey with dark green lines with dark green leather. For Prince Jaisinhrao. 
• 1921 Silver Ghost (109LG) Hooper Side-Light Cabriolet in dark blue. 
• 1924 Silver Ghost (106EM) Barker enclosed limousine in dark blue with dark green silk cloth upholstery for Prince Dhairyashilrao. 
• 1925 Silver Ghost (30EU) Barker Pullman limousine fitted with Dunlop steel artillery wheels, nickel fittings for H.H. The Maharaja. 
• 1927 Phantom I (71 RF) A Mulliner Enclosed¬ Drive Landaulette. 
• 1928 Phantom I (75EH) A Mulliner Landaulette de Ville. 
• 1929 Phantom II (70WJ) Barker Tourer finished in ivory and blue with blue leather upholstery. India Trials Car. Reg: X-6551 sold to Prince Pratapsinhrao. Recess for revolver in off side front door. Nacrolaque instrument board. Accessorized with two Alvis nickel plated Lucas wing lamps. 
• 1929 Phantom II (101WJ) Kellner Cabriolet de Ville for H.H. the Maharani. 
• 1930 Phantom II (101 GY) A Mulliner Landaulette exhibited at the October 1930 Motor Show and sold to Prince Pratapsinhrao. 
• 1933 20/25 (GTZ27) Thrupp & Maberly Landaulette sold new to Mrs M Herbertson Dawson, Kent. Subsequently, it was  re sold to Prince Pratapsinharao. 
• 1934 Phantom II (30SK) Windovers Drop Head Coupe for Prince Pratapsinhrao. 
• 1934 Phantom II (104SK) Kellner Enclosed¬-Drive Landaulette with a white finish to the instruments with black figures. Exhaust cut-out fitted. Lalique mascot mounted on the scuttle. Exhibited on the Kellner stand at the Paris Salon and supplied to Her Highness The Maharani. 
• 1934 20/25 (GAE3) Kellner Enclosed-Drive limousine exhibited on the Kellner stand at the Paris Salon for the Prince of Baroda. 
• 1934 20/25 (GAE45) Hooper Sports Saloon for H.H. the Maharani. 
• 1935 20/25 (GBJ71) Thrupp & Maberly Landaulette finished in grey and black with West of England cloth interior for H. H. The Maharaja. 
• 1936 Phantom III (3-AX-201) Enclosed limousine by Hooper with sun roof finished in blue and black with red line and blue brocade upholstery. Front seat black leather. Gold plated fittings. Bracket for flagstaff at base of kneeling lady mascot. Heraldry: Crown and sword emblazoned on waist rail. CD plate at rear. 
• 1937 Phantom III (3-BU-106) Kellner Enclosed-Drive limousine fitted with Marchal headlamps, ivory white equipment including steering wheel, change gear and brake lever handles; white dials with black figures; 6 Ace wheel discs with chrome plate ribs. For H.H. The Maharani. 
• 1937 Phantom III (3-CP-112) Windovers Saloon finished in 'Wilcolac' emerald green throughout. Trimming: Leopard skin, supplied by client; carpets front and rear in leopard skin; ivory finish to facia board, steering wheel and control knobs. Note: Heater, Rolls-Royce mascot, spare wheel covers, sunshine roof - not required. To the order of Prince Pratapsinhrao Gaekwad. 
• 1938 Phantom III (3-DL-96) Park Ward Tourer originally supplied to the Yuvaraja Saheb Mallendra Sinhji of Morvi. Second owner: The Prince of Baroda. 
• 1938 Wraith (WXA3 7) Park Ward Saloon used as a trials car. Reg: EYX 362 and featured in The Autocar 22 September 1939. Sold in January 1940 to H.H. The Maharani. 
• 1938 Wraith (WRB20) Binder Saloon for Princess Poniatowska, Paris. Sold second hand to H.H. the Maharaja of Baroda, The Dorchester Hotel, London, June 1945 - February 1946. 
• 1946 Bentley Mk VI (B8AK) Vanden Plas Saloon in silver and blue grey for H.H. The Maharaja. Shipped to Bombay per S.S.'Nirvana' on 25 January 1947. 
• 1946 Bentley Mk VI (B30AK) H J Mulliner Saloon in two shades of blue and grey, Perspex panel and sliding roof in rear. For H.H. the Maharani. 
• 1946 Bentley Mk VI (B42AK) H J Mulliner Drop-Head Coupe in 'Belco' grey. Car handed over to H.H,'s chauffeur on 8 August 1947 for H,H. the Maharaja. 
• 1946 Bentley Mk VI (B194AK) Bentley Motors Saloon in pearl grey and sold via Dadajee Dhackjee & Co., Bombay, for H.H. The Maharaja of Baroda. 
• 1948 Bentley Mk VI (B273BG) H J Mulliner Drophead Coupe in red and black for H.H. The Maharani. 
• 1951 Silver Wraith (ALW2) H J Milliner limousine with beige tapestry upholstery and gold fittings for H.H. The Dowager Maharani Chimnabai. 
• 1956 Silver Wraith (LELW97) H J Mulliner Touring Limousine for H.H. The Maharani Sita Devi of Baroda and used in France. 
• 1963 Phantom V (5-LPA-69) James Young touring limousine for H.H. The Maharani Sita Devi of Baroda and used in France. 

Vadodara royal family settles Rs. 20,000 crore property dispute after two decades

In this file photo, Samarjitsinh Gaekwad participates in his coronation ceremony with his wife Radhika Raje Gaekwad at Laxmi Vilas Palace in Vadodara.

VADODARA:  A two-decade long battle for inheritance of property worth more than Rs.20,000 crore in one of India's most famous royal families ended in a Gujarat court today.

Estranged members of the royal Gaekwad family of the former princely state of Vadodara - recently crowned Maharaja Samarjitsinh Gaekwad and his uncle Sangramsinh - arrived at a settlement in a district court in the city. 

According to the deal, the majestic Laxmi Vilas Palace and the 600 acres of land around it in Vadodara will be retained by Samarjitsinh and his family. 

The Maharaja will also control the museum at the palace with its paintings, diamonds and other precious possessions.

His uncle, Sangramsinh Gaekwad, and his family will get control of the Indumati Mahal in Vadodara and a few properties owned by the Gaekwads in the city. 

Sangramsinh will also retain one of the Mumbai properties of the royal family while the other properties in the city will be split between the four Gaekwad sisters.

Sangramsinh also got control over the private limited companies floated by the family earlier.

It was in 1991 that Sangramsinh Gaekwad, younger son of Sayajiirao Gaekwad, had dragged his brother Ranjitsinh to court over the property dispute. 

For more than two decades, the warring families were locked in a series of litigations with the battle continuing even after Ranjitsinh's death last year.

With acrimonious litigations putting on hold any plans on capitalising on the Rs. 20,000 crore property, the warring family finally decided to seal what turns out to be one of the largest settlements in independent India.

After the settlement, the families tried to cover up the strained past. "We are satisfied with the outcome and hope we will overcome the past and forge a new relationship between the family members," Samarjitsinh Gaekwad told NDTV.