PANIC! At The Disco

London-based designer Michael Halpern’s creations are an antidote to the mundane. And as he brings his brand of hyper-glitz to Mumbai, he reminds us why clothing has always been the best pick-me-up

- TANYA MEHTA

I think what’s really interesting is how assaulting this country is, in every way. The colours, the sounds, the architecture, the generosity,” says Michael Halpern when we meet him on a warm October afternoon, a few hours into his arrival in India, and on his very first visit. The young designer, widely known for is sequin-spangled, floor-sweeping looks, has caused a stir globally as the likes of Adwoa Aboah, Diane Kruger, Marion Cotillard, Kangana Ranaut and Sara Ali Khan have been dressed in his high-octane conceptions. But Halpern’s speedy trajectory isn’t without merit, the native New Yorker graduated from the Parsons School of Design, went on to complete a Master of Arts degree at Central Saint Martins, and was also a recipient of the British Emerging Talent Womenswear Award. And now with multiple stockists in various parts of the world, he made his Indian debut at Le Mill, a luxury concept store in Mumbai. But while he’s clearly enjoying his moment in the sun, Halpern’s intrigue with glamour reels back to his childhood days, “My earliest fashion memory is definitely my mother, who till date is very glamorous. She has an amazing eye for colour, I remember she had this green chiffon dress that I loved. I would put it on my sister, try to drape it differently, I would turn it into something else and we would take pictures around the house,” he says.