CREDITS-
PHOTOGRAPHER – KAILASH DEEPAK
COUTURE – FALGUNI SHANE PEACOCK
2020 is a year that gave India its first-ever digital fashion week. The FDCI’s ‘India Couture Week 2020’ went on floors via a virtual format in a novel move. While fashion films are not a new concept for Falguni Shane Peacock, a virtual fashion show was certainly an off-centered experience that had their imagination driving in an unhackneyed direction.
Falguni Shane Peacock roped in four of India’s top celebrity stylists viz. Shaleena Nathani, Tanya Ghavri, Aastha Sharma, and Mohit Rai to create ‘Spectacle Privé’. Shot at the St. Regis Hotel in Mumbai, ‘Spectacle Privé’ takes viewers backstage to witness the intrinsic effort put into every aspect of creation presented in each look. The designer duo, Falguni Peacock and Shane Peacock leveraged the rapid growth of visuals on social media and powerful new formats of digital communication to create this democratic, new platform to tell their fashion stories via couture and the showcase how couture comes to life.
The backstage-based fashion film unveiled ‘Marry Me in Jaipur’ – a collection that is heavily inspired by the rich tapestry of heritage, culture, architectural marvels, abundant flora and fauna of the marvel that is Jaipur – ‘The Pink City’. With this collection, Falguni Shane Peacock make a big foray into the traditional bridal segment for the very first time and showcase bridal statements in classic red – a color that is immensely significant to the Indian bride.
Stylist to the bigwigs of Bollywood such as Deepika Padukone and others, Shaleena created a story around the beige and ivory outfits that are replete with intricate detailing of sequins and pearls. Following close is Tanya Ghavri who added her styling touch to the multicolored ensembles that had silk thread work detailing in hues of powder pink, pale blue, sage green amongst others. ‘The Wedding Project’ duo Aastha Sharma and Mohit Rai came together to style the next segment of bespoke silver couture pieces that were laced with Swarovski crystals and stones work. The ‘shine on’ segment had beautiful white feather details added to the hair that gave it a dreamy, magical look. Concluding ‘Spectacle Privé’ in a fashionable style were the signature bridal red ensembles that were styled with bountiful floral details as the headgear along with a delicate veil. India’s top make-up and hair expert Daniel Bauer and his team brought out the best in each of the looks by the distinctive make-up aesthetics.
The designers had already ventured into an Avant-Garde medium of virtual fashion shows with their backstage concept. Ask them how they pushed the envelope and they will tell you how they roped in technology to bring the best experience of virtual to their viewers. “When we first started working on the idea on having a virtual fashion show via a fashion film, we knew that we wanted to give them an experience of a show, an actual show in a virtual way so that their interest is held till the very last bit of the show. We didn’t want to have the models walking like they usually would, we wanted them to connect to the cameras and by cameras, we mean the audience. We wanted the viewers to have a close up of the models in the garments and have the camera turning instead of the models turning towards them. This time we are taking a step further and embracing technology via VR and the fashion film has been recorded in 360 degrees. The viewers can now actually see what is happening while the shoot is happening and it is very exciting for us as well. When you talk about virtual, VR is the closest you can get to technology,” said Falguni Peacock and Shane Peacock.
Post-show, we caught up with the talented bunch of stylists on board and asked them what ‘Styling’, ‘Couture’ and a quintessential ‘Falguni Shane Peacock’ couture meant to them. Read on for the excerpts.
SHALEENA NATHANI:
[Q] Describe your connection with ‘Styling’.
For me, ‘Styling’ is something that you have inherently. It’s about bringing different things and putting it together for making beautiful looks, and about making people look and feel fantastic.
[Q] What does ‘Couture’ mean to you?
‘Couture’ for me is beautiful cuts and fantastic fabrics. I feel, today, we are also experimenting a lot with being bold with couture. It’s over the top, it’s extravagant, and in beautiful shapes and forms.
[Q] What comes to your mind when we say ‘Falguni Shane Peacock Couture’?
The quintessential ‘Falguni Shane Peacock Couture’ is bold and all about taking risks. I feel like they never do anything that you’ve seen before. Even in their bridal couture collections, they always try to bring about something new and that’s what I love about them.
[Q] Can you describe the look you’ve created for the models for the digital fashion show?
Today, the models are dressed in beige and ivory ensembles that have a lot of intricate silver work in them. So, we’ve kept everything minimal and clean. We’ve focused on the eyes, and I think Daniel Bauer and his team have added beautiful details in the hair by adding a few flowers.
[Q] Tell us about your look.
For today’s shoot, I actually wanted to wear something that I usually don’t wear, which is a gown. We don’t have too many occasions where we get to wear a gown. So, I thought why not! Falguni and Shane have really pampered me with this beautiful and sexy gold sexy gown which is stunning!
TANYA GHAVRI:
[Q] Describe your connection with ‘Styling’.
If I had to sum up my connection with styling in one line, I would say, ‘It’s eternal’.
[Q] What does ‘Couture’ mean to you?
‘Couture’ means luxury. It means craft. It means beautifully hand-done. It means fashion.
[Q] What comes to your mind when we say ‘Falguni Shane Peacock Couture’?
When I think of ‘Falguni Shane Peacock Couture’, what comes to my mind is ‘Larger than life and spectacular’.
[Q] Can you describe the look you’ve created for the models for the digital fashion show?
The look that I have created for the models today is beautiful, multicoloured that has lots of shine and sparkle, and a lot of silver work. So, like I said, it’s beautiful, spectacular and it’s magnanimous.
[Q] Tell us about your look.
The look that I’m wearing is beautiful and it has got all the Rhinestone work which I love. I think its super-duper glamorous.
AASTHA SHARMA:
[Q] Describe your connection with ‘Styling’.
‘Styling’ for me is freedom, freedom to show my creativity and that’s something I enjoy doing every day. It makes me happy; it makes me content. It’s my comfort zone where I can bring my creativity to the best and I really enjoy doing it. I’m so glad it’s my job and I get to do it every day.
[Q] What does ‘Couture’ mean to you?
‘Couture’ for me is imagination coming to reality. Couture for me is decadence. Couture for me is opulence. Couture for me is luxury. It’s a dreamy wonderland.
[Q] What comes to your mind when we say ‘Falguni Shane Peacock Couture’?
I have been seeing and I’ve been working with Falguni and Shane for such a long time and every time I see their clothes, they just take me to a wonderland. They are gorgeous and they are dreamy. I think every girl wants to be a #FSPbride and dreams of wearing a Falguni Shane Peacock couture for their wedding. The brides in their couture look like they have descended from some fairyland. It’s gorgeous!
[Q] Can you describe the look you’ve created for the models for the digital fashion show?
The section I’ve styled has beautiful white outfits with intricate Swarovski work on it. There’s a lot of feather details too. We’ve kept the whole vibe dreamy, magical, soft and flowy, keeping in mind the ensembles. It’s a very dreamy kind of section that we created which is perfect for day weddings and destination weddings.
[Q] Tell us about your look.
My look today is making me feel sexy and confident and I love wearing it!
MOHIT RAI:
[Q] Describe your connection with ‘Styling’.
‘Styling,’ for me, is second skin that I wear all the time. It’s one of the most important things that has happened to me, and for me, the whole idea of being able to edit and put things together is more important than the creation itself. I think you can have a great story but if your narrative, which is styling, is not correct, then you won’t be able to tell that story.
[Q] What does ‘Couture’ mean to you?
‘Couture’ means exclusive finery that should ideally not be more than one piece in the world. It’s not about wearing cookie cutter festive looks that everyone has access to. It’s about wearing something has been made for you exquisitely, and has been made bespoke for you, and has been made to measure. I think that exclusivity and that feeling of luxury, where it is a lifestyle and not something that you buy for an occasion.
[Q] What comes to your mind when we say ‘Falguni Shane Peacock Couture’?
There are so many words that come to my mind when I think of ‘Falguni Shane Peacock Couture’. I think the next generation of all brides is what comes to my mind, because it’s a new aesthetic and its completely the current aesthetic that the world needs to fall in line with. And I think the world has already fallen in line with so much, but I think after this collection, the people are going to be a lot more surprised by the level of bridal finery that Falguni Shane Peacock have achieved, and that the brides can look forward to. I genuinely feel its all about lightness and its all about feeling comfortable in your skin, rather than wearing unnecessary excess the world has become used to. It’s about wearing the next wave of fashion rather than the last wave.
[Q] Can you describe the look you’ve created for the models for the digital fashion show?
The bridal red look that we’ve worked on for the models today is heavily inspired by the maximalism of the Indian weddings while being married to the international aesthetics of very sophisticated, chic weddings. We wanted to translate the inspiration from the vineyard weddings of Italy into a red bride, and that’s what we have tried to achieve here. We have tried to keep a bit of traditionalism and play up all the modernism that Falguni Shane Peacock is all about.
[Q] Tell us about your look.
I’m wearing this amazing, bespoke Falguni Shane Peacock suit and I love it because it fits me like a glove and it has all the finery that you can expect form Falguni and Shane. They understand my love for maximalism very well and they always make these amazing things for me!