India in Fashion

"India in Fashion explores the beautiful and sophisticated history and aesthetics of traditional Indian fashion, dress, and textiles and their profound impact on European and American fashion from the eighteenth century to today. This intoxicating and visually rich volume-with texts by experts from India, Europe, and North America-is published to accompany a major exhibition that celebrates the long historical contributions that Indian dress, textiles, and embroidery have had on Western fashion. From the introduction of chintz dressmaking textiles in the eighteenth century through the early nineteenth century vogue for light Indian fabrics and "silver muslin" or Chikan embroideries, this volume features paintings, fashion magazine editorials, and portraits of influential women who championed Indian style throughout history. Brilliant traditional hues of royal blue, marigold, and fuchsia, intricate ikat and calico patterns, and sumptuous fabrics enliven every page. Archival and contemporary Vogue fashion stories, which use India as a setting that perfectly encapsulate the spirit of the clothes, include kaleidoscopic images by photographers such as Henry Clarke in Udaipur in 1967, Arthur Elgort in Jaipur in 1999, and Mikael Jansson in Goa with Indian actress Lakshmi Menon in 2011. Traditional Indian embroidery techniques; design motifs; and dress forms such as saris, jodhpurs, and turbans are reimagined by renowned designers Paul Poiret, Elsa Schiaparelli, Pierre Balmain, Zandra Rhodes, Halston, Yves Saint Laurent, Oscar de la Renta, Gianni Versace, Jean Paul Gaultier, Alexander McQueen, and Dries van Noten, in addition to a wealth of contemporary Indian designers. India in Fashion is a groundbreaking and essential book for readers interested in Indian style, fashion and costume history, fashion design, and photography"--