This intoxicating and visually rich volume is published to accompany a major exhibition that celebrates the long historical contributions that Indian dress, textiles, embroidery, and jewellery have had on fashion, particularly in Europe and America, from the eighteenth to the beginning of the twenty first centuries. 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 complete catalogue features over two hundred archival European garments juxtaposed against the dazzling Indian originals that inspired them, as well as stunning reference imagery including painted artworks, fashion magazine editorials, and portraits of influential women who championed Indian style throughout history. The brilliant traditional hues of royal blue, marigold, and fuchsia, intricate ikat and calico patterns, and sumptuous fabrics that food every page, capture the beauty inspired by Indian dress, culture, and aesthetics throughout the centuries. Archival and contemporary Vogue fashion stories that use India as a setting to 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, turbans, as well as Ashkan, Sherwani, and Nehru jackets, are reimagined by renowned designers Paul Poiret, Elsa Schiaparelli, Pierre Balmain, Fedrico Forquet, Thea Porter, Zandra Rhodes, Halston, Yves Saint Laurent, Oscar de la Renta, Gianni Versace, Jean Paul Gaultier, and Alexander McQueen, in addition to a wealth of contemporary Indian designers.
