Exquisite and rich apparels on the display with dancer Manjari Chaturvedi’s beguiling performance in the background, ace designer Tarun Tahiliani paid a homage to the fashionistas of their times, Indian courtesans, at the India Couture Week.

The designer gave the second day of the ongoing ICW a befitting end with “The Last Dance of the Courtesans” as his models sashayed down in suits, sarees, lehengas, lehenga-sarees, sherwanis, all in pastel hues of red, ivory, black, pink.

“I wanted to go back to the roots. Today, the bridal wear has become too heavy and costumy. So, I felt it’s time to go back to not just costume but to be modern. My collection was super glamorous yet modern and contemporary,” Tahiliani told reporters here post the show.

Glad to be a part of the opulent show, Manjari, who swirled to the reworked version of the songs originally sung by late classical singer Zeenat Begum, said that the designer brought together the style sense of courtesans beautifully.

“It was spectacular the way Tarun brought together the the concept in a modern format. The courtesans, themselves, were style icons and fashionistas. The collection explores the possibility of a wearable lightness of being for the contemporary diva, with inspirations drawn from the finery of the courtesans. They led the fashion scene in their era. Tarun’s collection showed that the courtesans were great artists. I was happy to be a part of it.”

Heaping praise on the sufi-kathak dance, Tahiliani said that her performance was a major part of the inspiration for the show.

“She was beautiful and a huge part of my inspiration for the show. I wanted to show that the two Indias can co-exist.”

The use of tulle was very apparent in the outfits and the designer said he wanted to play with the fabric.

“We have used beautiful tulle, chanderi then we have made use of Swarovski crystals. So, it’s an amalgamation of technology and art. I had to re-do one of the outfits six times because I wasn’t entirely satisfied.”

Tahiliani further said he focused on making the attires as light as possible.

“The inspiration is lightness. Today, when the pandit finishes the wedding rituals, the DJ is already waiting, so, the bride wants to put on her dancing shoes without changing her traditional wear. So, the lehenga should be such you can quickly team up with a white shirt or something else modern!”

“Wedding dresses are special. They should be used over and over again rather than being a one-time wear. So, these were the ideas in my mind while designing the collection,” the designer said.

Though he used pastel and pale shades, his outfits sparkled and shone.

“I love pastels and I have used a lot of pale because I feel if you do your hair and make-up nicely, pale adds a subtlety to the look. I think subtlety is what being contemporary is about.”

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