Deepak Perwani: Inspired by art

Designer Deepak Perwani’s autumn/winter 2010 collection is inspired by the eminent Indian painter Amrita Sher-Gil.

KARACHI: Designer Deepak Perwani’s autumn/winter 2010 collection, inspired by the eminent Indian painter Amrita Sher-Gil, made its way to Karachi on Sunday afternoon at Perwani’s Park Towers store.

Perwani first showed the collection at Fashion Pakistan Week this April, where a number of designers used artists as their inspiration. Umar Sayeed, whose show closed the five-day event, used Sadequain’s work as his theme, and Trial N Error made Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa their focal point, with screen printed images of the ‘most famous smile in the world’ dominating the ensembles.

The Amrita Sher-Gil collection, which is priced at Rs8,500 to Rs55,000, features screen printed images and motifs, typefaces from pre-Partition text and a palette of burnt yellow, deep blue, white and gold. The most notable trend was the floor-length kameezes, which Perwani said were because of customer demands. Predominantly in chiffon, chamois and silk, the collection also features shorter bias cut shirts, long coats and evening gowns, the likes of which have already been sported on the red carpet - Frieha Altaf wore it to the 20th anniversary celebrations for Catwalk.

While one felt that the collection was well-tailored and elegant, it is conservative — a far cry from the experimental nature of the designer’s work - and more appropriately suited to an older target market, which from a business perspective makes more sense since they can afford the price tags. The versatility of his spring/summer 2010 collection, which has been spotted on everyone from young teenagers to women in their 50s, is a key element that is missing in the otherwise covetable ensembles.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 7^th, 2010.