It was only after reading Indu Sundaresan's Shadow Princess that Shalini James became fascinated by Jahanara's dynamic life. The portrayal of the eldest surviving daughter of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal was so alluring that she became the muse of her new collection 'Jahanara'.
"I had read the book two years back, but I must have filed the story away in the recesses of my mind, never imagining that it would come back to me in such a potent manner; but it did. While working with the fabrics of Varanasi, one finds the resonance of the Mughal period in every motif, every weave," she tells Metrolife.
"Jahanara was a learned woman — a writer and a poet of repute. She penned biographies of two Sufi saints. She had got cities built, ships constructed and gardens commissioned with her personal wealth. She wielded a great influence over her father and siblings. Ever since I read about her, she's been a muse-in-waiting," she adds.
For this collection, James has worked with weavers of Varanasi for seven to eight months to develop the sampling fabric and was simultaneously taking references from Mughal silhouettes, motifs, colours and embroidery to present a line that was contemporary, yet rooted in tradition. However, what is interesting is that instead of using fabrics like brocade, heavy silks and embroidery — something associated with the grandeur of that era, James opted for cotton textiles of Varanasi.
"The Mughals had a penchant for ostentation. But in my imagination, there was an air of regal simplicity in Jahanara's demeanour and sartorial choices. These presumptions lead me to leave aside the heavy fabrics usually associated with the period. From a fashion perspective, I have a minimalistic eye, and I was hesitant to approach the Mughal period with it. But the spiritual angle was the perfect foil to render my muse with a Sufi brush and a palette of pastels," she adds.
The collection features free flowing anarkalis with voluminous palazzos and lehengas.
"Rose-gold and silver lurex threads are interwoven in the handloom fabric to give the effect of embossed gold-leaf technique in miniature paintings of the period. Zari embroidery has been sparingly used to define the necklines," she says, adding that hues like pale cardamom, sandalwood, sandstone pink, ash, mineral blue, amber and marble white dominate the line.
![]( "grand affair A sneak peek into Shalini James' collection.")
It was only after reading Indu Sundaresan’s Shadow Princess that Shalini James became fascinated by Jahanara’s dynamic life. The portrayal of the eldest surviving daughter of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal was so alluring that she became the muse of her new collection 'Jahanara’.
"I had read the book two years back, but I must have filed the story away in the recesses of my mind, never imagining that it would come back to me in such a potent manner; but it did. While working with the fabrics of Varanasi, one finds the resonance of the Mughal period in every motif, every weave,” she tells Metrolife.
"Jahanara was a learned woman — a writer and a poet of repute. She penned biographies of two Sufi saints. She had got cities built, ships constructed and gardens commissioned with her personal wealth. She wielded a great influence over her father and siblings. Ever since I read about her, she’s been a muse-in-waiting,” she adds.
For this collection, James has worked with weavers of Varanasi for seven to eight months to develop the sampling fabric and was simultaneously taking references from Mughal silhouettes, motifs, colours and embroidery to present a line that was contemporary, yet rooted in tradition. However, what is interesting is that instead of using fabrics like brocade, heavy silks and embroidery — something associated with the grandeur of that era, James opted for cotton textiles of Varanasi.
"The Mughals had a penchant for ostentation. But in my imagination, there was an air of regal simplicity in Jahanara’s demeanour and sartorial choices. These presumptions lead me to leave aside the heavy fabrics usually associated with the period. From a fashion perspective, I have a minimalistic eye, and I was hesitant to approach the Mughal period with it. But the spiritual angle was the perfect foil to render my muse with a Sufi brush and a palette of pastels,” she adds.
The collection features free flowing anarkalis with voluminous palazzos and lehengas.
"Rose-gold and silver lurex threads are interwoven in the handloom fabric to give the effect of embossed gold-leaf technique in miniature paintings of the period. Zari embroidery has been sparingly used to define the necklines,” she says, adding that hues like pale cardamom, sandalwood, sandstone pink, ash, mineral blue, amber and marble white dominate the line.
"I had read the book two years back, but I must have filed the story away in the recesses of my mind, never imagining that it would come back to me in such a potent manner; but it did. While working with the fabrics of Varanasi, one finds the resonance of the Mughal period in every motif, every weave," she tells Metrolife.
"Jahanara was a learned woman — a writer and a poet of repute. She penned biographies of two Sufi saints. She had got cities built, ships constructed and gardens commissioned with her personal wealth. She wielded a great influence over her father and siblings. Ever since I read about her, she's been a muse-in-waiting," she adds.
For this collection, James has worked with weavers of Varanasi for seven to eight months to develop the sampling fabric and was simultaneously taking references from Mughal silhouettes, motifs, colours and embroidery to present a line that was contemporary, yet rooted in tradition. However, what is interesting is that instead of using fabrics like brocade, heavy silks and embroidery — something associated with the grandeur of that era, James opted for cotton textiles of Varanasi.
"The Mughals had a penchant for ostentation. But in my imagination, there was an air of regal simplicity in Jahanara's demeanour and sartorial choices. These presumptions lead me to leave aside the heavy fabrics usually associated with the period. From a fashion perspective, I have a minimalistic eye, and I was hesitant to approach the Mughal period with it. But the spiritual angle was the perfect foil to render my muse with a Sufi brush and a palette of pastels," she adds.
The collection features free flowing anarkalis with voluminous palazzos and lehengas.
"Rose-gold and silver lurex threads are interwoven in the handloom fabric to give the effect of embossed gold-leaf technique in miniature paintings of the period. Zari embroidery has been sparingly used to define the necklines," she says, adding that hues like pale cardamom, sandalwood, sandstone pink, ash, mineral blue, amber and marble white dominate the line.
It was only after reading Indu Sundaresan’s Shadow Princess that Shalini James became fascinated by Jahanara’s dynamic life. The portrayal of the eldest surviving daughter of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal was so alluring that she became the muse of her new collection 'Jahanara’."I had read the book two years back, but I must have filed the story away in the recesses of my mind, never imagining that it would come back to me in such a potent manner; but it did. While working with the fabrics of Varanasi, one finds the resonance of the Mughal period in every motif, every weave,” she tells Metrolife.
"Jahanara was a learned woman — a writer and a poet of repute. She penned biographies of two Sufi saints. She had got cities built, ships constructed and gardens commissioned with her personal wealth. She wielded a great influence over her father and siblings. Ever since I read about her, she’s been a muse-in-waiting,” she adds.
For this collection, James has worked with weavers of Varanasi for seven to eight months to develop the sampling fabric and was simultaneously taking references from Mughal silhouettes, motifs, colours and embroidery to present a line that was contemporary, yet rooted in tradition. However, what is interesting is that instead of using fabrics like brocade, heavy silks and embroidery — something associated with the grandeur of that era, James opted for cotton textiles of Varanasi.
"The Mughals had a penchant for ostentation. But in my imagination, there was an air of regal simplicity in Jahanara’s demeanour and sartorial choices. These presumptions lead me to leave aside the heavy fabrics usually associated with the period. From a fashion perspective, I have a minimalistic eye, and I was hesitant to approach the Mughal period with it. But the spiritual angle was the perfect foil to render my muse with a Sufi brush and a palette of pastels,” she adds.
The collection features free flowing anarkalis with voluminous palazzos and lehengas.
"Rose-gold and silver lurex threads are interwoven in the handloom fabric to give the effect of embossed gold-leaf technique in miniature paintings of the period. Zari embroidery has been sparingly used to define the necklines,” she says, adding that hues like pale cardamom, sandalwood, sandstone pink, ash, mineral blue, amber and marble white dominate the line.