AIFW Autumn/Winter 2017: Some kulhad chai, crisp matthis and Samant Chauhan’s golden collection

Samant Chauhan’s signature Indo-Western-framed silhouettes dominated the collection of anarkali jackets, floor-length A-line dresses, off-shoulder crop tops, and breezy long jackets paired with delicate circular skirts. (Source: APH Images)

Curating an off-site fashion show is no easy task. As we all know, it requires crazy amount of planning and painstaking attention to every possible detail – carrying it off without a glitch is a different matter altogether. AIFW 2017 kick-started in the Capital on March 15 at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium and fashion connoisseurs were in for a pleasant surprise when on the second day, Samant Chauhan celebrated a childhood connection with a wonderful showcase at the National Railway Museum, Delhi.

The outfits in earthy hues like ivory, off white, vanilla, eggshell white and cream had a colonial touch to it. (Source: APH Images)

An unlikely location for a fashion show but like always, there’s an interesting story behind it. The designer who grew up in a railway colony in Jamalpur, a small town in Bihar, fulfilled his lifelong ambition of creating a collection around locomotives. The made in India philosophy ruled the show as he presented the Assamese Muga silk collection to revive the craft – which is on the brink of extinction – with help from ‘The Golden Threads of Assam’, an initiative to preserve the royal silk and helping the weavers and rearers to maintain their unique identity.

Chauhan said, “It is a dream come true for me. I’ve been working on this line for more than a year. Everything in this collection can be traced to what I saw from the windows when I first began to travel. As the trains passed through the paddy fields, I used to wonder about people living in the houses that passed by. I have attempted to translate my memories – imagined and factual through my collection today”.

The designer used the knife pleating technique to lend his garments an 18th-century look; accents of gold zari were also seen in forms of intricate hand embroideries. (Source: APH Images)

Chauhan, who has been working on this project for the past two years, created 50 outfits mixing Muga – one of the most expensive silks in the world – and Eri silk, also a popular variety of silk from Assam. The outfits in earthy hues like ivory, off white, vanilla, eggshell white and cream had a colonial touch to it. The designer used the knife pleating technique to lend his garments an 18th-century look; accents of gold zari were also seen in forms of intricate hand embroideries, each representing a memory with its elements.