Shubhanjana Das
A literature lover and a fashion enthusiast, I dabble in fashion to merge my two loves. I get lost at grocery stores and find myself in shoe stores. When I'm not scrolling through Instagram, I like to live life out of a backpack and travel the country..
- February 5, 2019
- FASHION + SHOPPING
Shehla Khan’s Summer’19 Collection ‘Diana’ is A Revival of late 80s Opulence
Shehla Khan brings together the 80s opulence with present-day urbanity in her summer collection ‘Diana’, named after her muse Princess Diana herself.
The RSQ team caught up with Shehla Khan to know from the mastermind herself about what inspired her for the bespoke Summer ’19 collection named ‘Diana’, showcased at Lakme Fashion Week Summer Resort’19 on 3rd Feb. Here’s what the designer had to say:
RSQ: Can you tell us what your inspiration was behind the collection?
Shehla Khan: For this collection, I was inspired by the late 1980s. When I thought of a fashion icon who I really admire from the late 1980s, I thought of Princess Diana. I think till today, she is a huge style icon globally, and not just for me. She has a lot of influence in fashion even today. At the time, I really admired her style because even though she was from the royal family, she didn’t put much emphasis on that in terms of personal style. She was very original and experimental in terms of who dressed her, and the different kinds of looks that she wore. She wasn’t afraid of anything, and she wasn’t afraid to emulate anything that she wanted.
My collection is called ‘Diana’ because of my inspiration from her, but I’ve used elements of her style, some of her iconic looks which I really love. I’ve used parts of them and incorporated them with my aesthetic. I’ve also used them in Indian and western wear. So, this collection is not essentially Indian wear, but because I am catering to Indian people, there are lehengas which are more like skirts and blouses, there are gowns, dresses, and jumpsuits which are embroidered. There are sarees which are not like traditional sarees; they are pre-draped, in-between gowns and sarees. So, I’ve really used an influence of her style and tried to cater it to Indian wear.
RSQteam: What was your idea behind the showcase of the collection during fashion week?
Shehla Khan: This was my idea. I feel like it’s something that hasn’t been revisited. Of course, the late 80s and 90s have a huge influence on fashion in 2019. I think in Spring 2019, across the world, there’s a lot of street style from the 80s and 90s. There’s a lot of glamour, opulence, and drama from the late 1980s. I don’t take an interest in street style at all, I don’t like wearing it. But in terms of my clothes, I’ve tried to use some dramatic elements in terms of silhouette. I’ve used a lot of pearls for embroidery because pearls represent royalty to me. They are classic and very statement. I have mixed long skirts with strong-shoulder jackets because I feel like that’s something which is very bold but also wearable for the Indian woman. As I said, I have tried to incorporate sarees with capes and statement blouses.
The big surprise for who will turn showstopper for Shehlaa was revealed when the gorgeous Isabella Kaif, Bhumi Pednekar, and Karan Johar graced the ramp in creations by the designer, with Bhumi in a contemporary ruffle-y lehenga, Isabella in a golden bellowing lehenga, and Karan Johar in a monotone embedded jacket. The collection was an amalgam of 80s extravagance which made a bold statement with its flowing skirt-like lehengas, pearls, enchanting sequins, and bold bows in pastel hues. ‘Diana’ looks at showcasing femininity with a dash of panache and a hint of ritz, making the perfect equation that made for a collection that epitomized the coming together of the ages in contemporary sartorial mastery.
A literature lover and a fashion enthusiast, I dabble in fashion to merge my two loves. I get lost at grocery stores and find myself in shoe stores. When I’m not scrolling through Instagram, I like to live life out of a backpack and travel the country.
