French Elements In Monisha Jaising's ICW 2014 Collection

Monisha Jaising's collection for ICW 2014 is titled 'World Bride'. However, it borrows heavily from the stylistic elements of the French Rococo era. In 18th century France, the Rococo style was a rage in fashion and art. Monisha Jaising has blended the playful elements of this style with the elements of Indian bridal wear. The result is an amazing cross-cultural collection of clothes.

LISA HAYDON AS INDO-FRENCH BRIDE

The French Rococo style was all about play of colours, textures and flamboyant patterns. It was not hard to incorporate such a style within the boundaries of Indian bridal ware, which is all about splashes of colour. However, the Monisha's collection for ICW 2014 retains some very typically French features.

For example, the use leather is definitely a very French thing. We could have never imagined the demure Indian bride in black leather, ballroom gowns and pastel colours that hark back to the Rococo style. Here are some decidedly French elements in Monisha Jaising's India Couture Week 2014 collection.

Pastel Shades

Pastel colours are one of the prime features of the Rococo style. And the colour palette for this collection contains lots of pastels.

Leather

Leather is something that is worn predominantly by Europeans. The French in particular are very fond of black leather. Using leather to create Indian clothes like lehenga skirts, blouses and cholis is a brilliant idea.

The Sweetheart Neckline

The sweetheart neckline for gowns, dresses and tops is again a very French style feature. Most of the outfits in this collection sport sweetheart necklines.

Playful Colours

The Rococo style in particular focusses on a play of different colours and patterns to create a happy effect. These ballroom gowns bring back the original exuberance of 18th century French ballroom gowns.

The French Braid

What would be more 'Francois' than the French woman's favourite hairstyle. All the models on the ramp sported a French braid that made the style look original.

The Settings

The settings of the ramp like a street from Paris was also very original. The cafe in the background and the painters in the forefront helped to build a French atmosphere.

Floral Prints

The leggings you can see in this collection has floral prints which was again a primary feature of 18th century French fashion.

Fit & Flare Skirts

The fit and flare lehenga skirts were a brilliant cross-over fashion trend that was covered by this collection.