October 22, 2021: Inspired by her childhood memories and turning to her nostalgia and family albums, Indian designer Payal Singhal has created her latest collection, ‘Suroor’, with the defining aesthetic as old-world charm. Reminiscent of an era gone by, it echoes antiquated and evocative emotions.
Thinking about accompanying her mother during trips to the local market in the early ’80s, scouring the stores for Indian wear; this ‘old city bazaar’ vibe served as the starting point for the collection. The collection sweeps one away to a world of sepia-toned nostalgia, with reminders of the days spent in grandmothers’ dressing rooms, rummaging through her trunks to find that every ensemble had a story attached to it.
Building on the vintage narrative through Rehmani lehengas, old-school Arabic, Rajathani and Lucknowi patterns, and yesteryear Bollywood costumes, the result is a sentimental, quaint and equally charming and relevant collection.
Suroor stays true to the brand’s DNA of deconstruction and re-imagination of traditional Indian silhouettes for a modern aesthete, and features hybrid lehengas with cut-outs, sharara sets, kaftan kurtas and anarkalis, all enhanced with intricate mukaish, zardozi, gota, nakshi, pitta and mirror work.
A new burst of #PSPrints and statement yokes, the latest take on the House’s signature back-tie choli are an integral part of the collection. Ms. Singhal’s signature tassels feature still in myriad ways. She has worked with bandanas developed in Jaipur, for the first time and has used this technique on tussar instead of silks, with her inimitable twist.
With sherwanis and bandis with embroidered jaals in jewel tones alongside sorbet shades, the menswear is more intricate this season.
Returning to her original colour palette dipped in monochrome, almost-sombre hues after playing with brighter hues this past year, Ms. Singhal has used stone, grey and ecru, softly intertwined with pale blue, old rose and mellow pastels.
A nazakat, a delicacy resonates through this collection, through the demeanour of every fall, cut and drape, making it all the more appealing. Beauty in simplicity, where less is more, is the spirit of the collection; aiming at creating bridal ensembles that become a vital part of the wearer’s story, of their big day, the kind whose tales one would want to narrate when sitting with their brood – just like their grandmothers.
Talking about her inspiration for the collection, Ms. Singhal said that at a time that has been rife with bleakness, she sought inspiration in the beauty of the past to find hope for the future; and being on that threshold where we seek a return to normalcy, there is no denying that we have changed. We have become more mindful and aware, and she wanted to bring a sense of that to this line. Suroor means joy and exhilaration, which are not just the emotions that she hopes the collection will evoke, but also her wishes for the new world.
