Fashion has always been used as a way to push boundaries and experiment with new or old looks in order to do something different.
What Prateik Babbar and Chola The Label by designer Sohaya Misra have done with their latest collection ‘Bye Felicia’ at the first day of the 2018 Lakme Fashion Week is truly stunning and something we would want to see more of in our Indian fashion and beauty community.
That being the drag culture and the kind of admiration and awe it has in the West.
The name of the collection comes from a movie reference that apparently means to dismiss away something that is irrelevant and should not be given attention to.
Basically, with this collection, the designer is trying to brush away the social constraints on beauty and clothing by focusing on gender fluidity, drag dressing and makeup, androgynous styles and allowing one the freedom to explore their creativity in any way they like.
The truly surprising factor amongst all this was actor Prateik Babbar who was also the showstopper for the event. Babbar came decked out in a stunning dual makeup with one side as a man and the other made up as a woman in crazy jewellery and flowy garments.
The way Babbar not only accepted this gender-bending with clothes and makeup, but outright rejoiced in it was good to see and hope this attitude can be emulated by other popular personalities too.
In a statement, Prateik Babbar said that the aim of this collection was to start a discussion on this topic that is still considered taboo in our society. He said that, “As Indians, we often don’t talk about our sex and sexuality which is more like an undercover operation. This attempt by Chola is to normalise those topics that are usually not discussed in the mainstream by trying to engage in a dialogue on sexuality in the public domain.”
The designer Sohaya Mishra, who is the brains behind this concept said that, “The show is all about being comfortable in your skin, taking pride in your identity and expressing yourself to the fullest. I always wanted to highlight socio-psychological issues that are prevalent in the country in my storytelling… There is always room for black and white but the real struggle is when you’re grey. That’s where my inspiration sprung up from.”
The collection was littered with gender-bending with frills and long silhouettes going for the menswear, even adding cropped cuts, while the females had androgynous styles with clean cuts and masculine tones in their outfits.
The colour scheme of the collection was pretty monochromatic with a lot of greys being used as a means of self-expression and what it means to do so when the society does not accept you.
Drag makeup and style was also used in the collection and it is good to see that culture is finally making an appearance on the mainstream fashion circuit.
Read More: Is India, “The Country Of Young People” Accepting Towards Different Gender Identities?
Babbar’s look was a twist on the yin and yang concept wherein his face showed the male and female sides and how both need to co-exist together. The model with him, Jason Arland, on the other hand, had a very feminine outfit with ruffles, heels and even a veil.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bm0duQQh-IB/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
The designer used recycled and organic fabrics along with linens for her designs along with using vintage hairstyles and edgy metal-based jewellery.
The bold makeup and looks contrasted really nicely with the neutral tones of the clothes and allowed the designer to highlight how clothing is beyond gender.
Image Credits: Google Images
Sources: India.com, Times Now, Business Standard
Other Recommendations:
