GEISHA BRIDES LOOKBOOK 2013 BY ANIL PADIA

Sunday, January 27, 2013

Anil Padia has been one of the best designers to watch over in Kenya and has also graced one of the most prestigious fashion events last year which was FAFA as one of the Top Emerging Designers, where I saw his gorgeous designs filled with a lot of creativity which amazed me. As you can tell from the pictures this is one designer who is going to take Africa by storm.

Anil Padia’s latest collection takes you on a trip down to the enchanting land of Japan. The collection looks at several aspects of the intriguing culture from elegant geishas, complex origami through to exquisite traditional Japanese tattoos. Although not an obvious translation, the designer combined his research to produce a well balanced, fashion forward collection.
The colour palette was restricted to off white adding an element of purity and minimalism to the collection. Each piece was also accompanied by a burst of vibrant colours through intricately hand-embroidered or hand painted motifs resembling creatures in Japanese tattoos such as koi fish, herons and peacocks which from a far looked like they were printed onto the fabric.

In this collection the designer used alternative pattern making methods . He often started off with a shape such as a circle, square or triangle and folded the fabric through darts and pleats in a similar manner to origami. For instance there was a 100% raw silk jacket completely constructed through the use of darts and tucks which were then released at the waist creating a very flattering feminine silhouette. The collection also features cut out backs, asymmetric hems, plunging necklines and pencil skirts with pleating details. The fabric consists of raw silk and matt satin giving the garments a soft and elegant feel.

The collection’s accessories are refined and tasteful . The model's shoes are engulfed in white flowers as if they were geishas in a garden. The model is wearing long white or navy blue tassel earrings accompanied with clutch bags completely covered in silk as well as long dangling tassels.

Each piece of the collection is truly unique from the construction methods through to the hand painted/embroidered motifs. All in all the collection captures the simplistic yet decadent spirit of Japan.