THE INSPIRATION
The handiwork on Mishra’s spring line is three-dimensional, but he thinks of it as four-dimensional: “You know Interstellar, where they interpret the fourth dimension, the singularity, as love? This is how we tried to interpret the love for the craftsmanship and the dedication of the team that has made this line.”
THE SHAPES
Mishra’s Paris collections have always been about elegant silhouettes, flashes of skin and exquisite embroidery. But for S/S 2016, “We are working on alternate shapes. They’re not anti-fit, but alternate fit.” They are like growing, breathing versions of his older items: embroidered mesh scallops emerge from shoulders, and skirt pleats part to reveal diverse patterns on each fold.
THE LOOK
To complement the forward-looking silhouettes, Mishra chose hair and make-up that is “very modern; something from now.” Feminine and sophisticated, but with an avant-garde (yet wearable) sensibility. And, of course, having the cool to pull it off is necessary: “For me, fashion is about how effortlessly you can mix things together.”
THE SHADES
Mishra isn’t big on brights, although he sent royal purples and Russian reds down the runway for his first couture collection, earlier this year. (He attributed that to commercial demands: “Here, I force myself to do a lot of colour.” Brides don’t do monochrome.) He tends to favour black and white, his favourite, and when he uses colour, such as a blushing coral he’s introduced this season, “It comes with grey. I think the story is reflected best when you’re not adding too much colour to something.” Of his now-iconic bursts of yellow, he says, “I had to cover up the yellow I used with white organza. Yellow is too bright!”
THE LINE-UP
Mishra presented between Commes des Garçons and Nina Ricci, a daunting prospect for a young designer. Not to mention the other hall-of-fame names that litter Paris Fashion Week. “When you’re showcasing alongside the most exciting brands — brands that I’ve been following since childhood, it’s pressure, but exciting,” he says. “I got to present on one of the most important days of PFW. We are not in any way close to the big brands that are showing there, but it tells us something in terms of what they expect from us in the future. They are recognising us as at par with these guys.”
Photographs: Nishanth Radhakrishnan; Styling: Gauri Verma; Make-up and Hair: Umang Vanshika; Models: Heena, Victoria/Vogati Talents, Rodali/Elan Talent Management; Assisted by Devika Wahal
