I distinctly remember blowing up two months worth of salary while looking for the perfect outfits for a cousin’s wedding back in 2019. The worst part of it all? Not satisfied with what I bought, I ended up opting for my mom’s saree for the wedding. Three years since then, I still get an earful from my mom every time she stumbles upon those cursed lehengas that haven’t seen the light of the day yet. Well, my guess is that most of you must have had a similar experience at some point in life. That is because occasion wear is tricky, confusing, and, not to forget, so darn expensive.
However, in the past couple of decades, popular apparel brands have started collaborating with renowned designers to actively address this gap. Through limited collections, they have launched smartly conceptualised collections that are trendy, desirable, and affordable. The phenomenon can easily be signposted in 2004 when Karl Lagerfeld collaborated with H & M. Almost two decades later, the collab-culture is still going strong as we eagerly await the Sabyasachi X H & M collection.
Renowned designer Payal Singhal is another one to jump the bandwagon with a rather interesting collaboration with Delhi-based ethnic-fusion brand Indya. She recently joined forces with Tanvi Malik, the Co-founder, FabAlley & Indya, to create an affordable festive capsule collection that is perfect for the Indian summer. The results? We finally have the occasion wear collection that had us scouring desi market lanes and the entirety of the internet! In a recent conversation with POPxo, Tanvi and Payal talked about the collection and the thoughts that went into its making. Here are the excerpts:
Creating Affordable Occasion Wear
Payal Singhal For Indya
Indya was launched in 2016 as a brand that modernises the ethnic wear industry. Tanvi shares, “Women today are looking for something which is modern, trendy, and in line with what’s happening overall from a global fashion point of view. Thus, making an organised high street retail model for new-age Indian festive wear at a budget was the thought we based brand Indya on.”
Indya’s Summer Festive Collection was conceptualised with the same concept in mind. And Payal Singhal’s fresh aesthetics and unique sartorial language looked like the perfect match for the line. “When we were planning our collaboration we realised that not only does Payal have a unique design language and strong signature that we would want to bring to our audience, but also that her modern and fusion sensibility is completely in line with our design DNA,” explains Tanvi. In Payal, the brand found an inclusive, fun and free-spirited designer who is constantly updating her brand to keep up with the changing needs of the millennial Indian women.
Collection Details & Our Favourite Picks
Setting the tone for this season of intimate weddings, the line sees distinctly stylish separates, fresh summery hues, and statement embellishments. “Effortless styling takes center stage in this collection with separates that call for a fun mix and match. Payal’s signature drop-crotch pants, shararas, draped and crop tops, jackets, and more have been designed as the building blocks of a traditional wear wardrobe,” shares Tanvi.
Pants and skirts with attached dupattas, asymmetric tunics, and breezy yet dressy jumpsuits add a dash of drama to the line. Since this is a summer festive collection, they have mostly focussed on fabrics like georgettes, mesh, and art silk with rich touches of velvet. In terms of the palette, sorbet hues of vintage blush pink, mint, powder blue, and grey with pops of lemon yellow, and navy have been focussed upon. It is a vibrant collection. And you’ll see bold digital floral prints, mukaish embellishments, zari embroidery, and playful fringes, tassels, and mirror work that are ubiquitous in Payal’s signature lines.
Speaking about the collection, Payal says, “The collection is all about signature PS prints and colours that appeal to the millennial Indian woman. We understood the customer profile for both brands and concluded that this collaboration should be Payal’s DNA design being translated into a commercial and affordable line, and that’s how it came to be.”
Now, while it might be an affordable collection, there is no compromise on style, silhouette, fabric design prints or colours so it feels very luxurious. Also, it is a versatile collection where it can be worn as Indian occasion wear as well as western wear. Here are our favourite picks from the collection:
Payal Singhal’s Take On Occasion Wear
As we go on discussing the Payal Singhal for Indya collection, it sounds only fitting that we explore the designer’s personal take on occasion wear. Commenting on the same Payal shares, “I think less is more. An outfit is more noticeable when it is simple and elegant. So go ahead and mix and match but accessorise elegantly.” Payal staunchly advocates individuality in styling and recommends that you dress according to how you feel on a particular occasion.
That said, the designer is all about comfort and thinks that there is no bigger fashion faux than choosing style over comfort. As she says, “A common mistake I’ve always noticed is that people tend to choose style over comfort. They’ll wear high heels or wear clothes smaller than their size which will make them uncomfortable throughout the evening.”
Well, comfort is something that the Payal Singhal for Indya definitely takes into account thus making it one of the most coveted fashion lines for 2021 summer weddings. Here is a collection this is fun, comfy, and affordable. Safe to say that out 2021 summer festive wardrobe has been taken care of!
Featured Image: Payal Singhal For Indya
