I of the needle
Brunch|June 08, 2024
Century-old fabrics, designs sourced from museums, inspiration from old photos, creative hacks to turn back time. Check out how Indian costume designers are making every period detail shine
Urvee Modwel
I of the needle

Have Indian costumers ever had it so good? All of a sudden, period dramas and comedies are all over Indian screens. The year's breakout hit, Laapataa Ladies, recreates a time just before mobile phones took over our lives. Ae Watan Mere Watan is set in 1942, amidst our struggle for freedom. A biopic on Indira Gandhi is in the works, as is a movie about Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji Jadeja, the Gujarati prince who sheltered thousands of Polish children during World War II.

And streaming on Netflix is Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar. The tale of courtesans in undivided Punjab of the 1940s has polarised viewers and critics. But its sumptuous costumes, created by Rimple and Harpreet Narula, are an undisputed hit.

So, what does it take to recreate a moment in the past, and design looks that illuminate a story without eclipsing it? We asked Rimple Narula, who also worked on Padmaavat (2018); Ratna Dhanda, costume designer on Ae Watan Mere Watan and founder of The Dress Anatomy; and Niharika Bhasin, who created 1950s garments for Khoya Khoya Chand (2007), turned actors into Ravi Varma muses in Rang Rasiya (2008), and gave costumes an Art Deco twist in Bombay Velvet (2015). They all say it's more complicated than it seams.

Choice cuts

For Heeramandi, the Narulas knew that Bhansali's vision runs both sumptuous and ambitious. They'd worked with him on Padmaavat and Rimple Narula recalls visiting the Calico Museum of Textiles in Gujarat, the Victoria & Albert Museum in the UK, and vintage costume shows for research on what royals wore in 14th century India. She even flew to Turkey and collected cloth from antique stores to understand what old fabrics felt like.

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM BRUNCHView all
Let's tri all the angles
Brunch

Let's tri all the angles

BFFs falling for the same girl, kidnap twists, murders, bromances. These 10 three-way love stories play with geometry and our feelings

time-read
3 mins  |
November 09, 2024
Should you Q up for this?
Brunch

Should you Q up for this?

Audi's luxury SUV, the Q8, has had a refresh. But a sleeker grille and headlight tech don't make up for what's still missing

time-read
2 mins  |
November 09, 2024
How to plan a great escape
Brunch

How to plan a great escape

It's getting colder. It's already hard to breathe. Why not plan a winter vacation that's a world away but not too far away?

time-read
2 mins  |
November 09, 2024
Kababs, yes, but khandvi too
Brunch

Kababs, yes, but khandvi too

Mughlai cuisine has as many vegetarian dishes as meaty ones. A new translation of a 16th century manuscript shows how we ate, and why modern labels are pointless

time-read
3 mins  |
November 09, 2024
I can be your hero
Brunch

I can be your hero

Gurfateh Pirzada, only afewroles old, is the green flag we didn't know we needed. He's learning from women. He wants to be more thana lover and a fighter. He's hoping we all do better. No wonder everyone's crushing on him

time-read
4 mins  |
November 09, 2024
Meet the export experts
Brunch

Meet the export experts

Khadi crop-tops in Spain, faux-leather hoodies in London, fairytale wedding gowns in the UAE. See how some desi labels are killing it on foreign shores

time-read
3 mins  |
November 09, 2024
Why we're all feeling Blue
Brunch

Why we're all feeling Blue

Coco Mellors's new novel is about grief, sisterhood, and of course, addiction and unlikeable women. How does she make it work?

time-read
4 mins  |
November 09, 2024
This week, we're...
Brunch

This week, we're...

Changing the momo game, listening to kids, starting a new business, and supporting pro waxxers

time-read
2 mins  |
November 09, 2024
Rohit Chawla
Brunch

Rohit Chawla

Photographer, artist, @RohitChawlaPhotography_

time-read
1 min  |
November 02, 2024
Congratulations, it's a goal
Brunch

Congratulations, it's a goal

Lakeside vows, pastel palettes, bayous, backyards and boats. These celeb weddings are what modern fairytales are made of

time-read
2 mins  |
November 02, 2024