miami swim fashion week: shivan & narresh
(images via mbfwms)
the spring 2012 round of shows represents mumbai-based label shivan & narresh’s first time presenting at miami swim fashion week. designed by duo shivan bhatiya and narresh kukreja, the brand was first exhibited in cannes in 2010 and retains a more demure flavour than that which we’ve been otherwise seeing at the week, with vintage-y silhouettes.
the range, titled ‘mosaic,’ represents the first and only indian label to show at the event, vogue informs us. when asked about their collection, as the blog currently loving it reports, the designers (rather humorously, i might add) replied that “We are not the kind of brand that says swimsuits are sleaze, swimsuits are sexy or swimsuits are skimpy. Our idea is that swimsuits should be elegant and for everyone.”
the colour palette was mostly classic—medium gray, white, and black—with an occasional pop of colour in shades of burgundy, mustard, pale blue, and bubblegum. as to construction, the mbfwms site reports that the pieces are composed of “100% handcrafted stitch-free beachwear along with ready to wear swimwear made all in 100% Italian fabrics.”
the pieces themselves were indeed conservative compared to other event participants, but this needn’t be unpleasant; instead, the swimsuits retained a retro charm, with one-piece options featuring colour-blocking and cut-outs (often in one-shouldered varieties), modest two-piece suits that rather evoked the 1950s, and pretty figure-hugging cover-ups that would serve equally for cocktail wear into the evening.
in the end, i found the label’s work to be one of the week’s highlights, not the least because they offered something truly different from the others, but because indeed there are customers looking for options less revealing than most labels are wont to put out. the asymmetrical cuts and strong lines were particularly charming, and sexy in their own right, echoing the then-shocking pieces worn by classic pinup girls.
(see the show highlights video here)
