In association with Manufacture Jaeger- LeCoultre, which has been at the forefront of fine Swiss watch making, ace designer Suneet Varma translated the vision of one of the most beautiful periods in the history of fashion with his couture presentation La Belle Epoque. Literally translated, ‘the beautiful era’, from French Fashion history, the period marking the years 1890 to 1914 was also the beginning of the yearly fashion cycle, whereby people started to follow trends, silhouettes and colours on a seasonal basis.

The collection captured in dramatic sweeps the aesthetic highlights of those years of a languid and leisurely life. Rich dark velvets in jewel tones like teal, maroon, emerald and black were created in tone on tone appliqué embroidery with a hint of copper lame....braided belts and embroidered stockings worn with empireline
dresses. The long slender tunics with sheer sleeves with cutwork embroidery were complemented by generous skirts. The silhouettes of the era came alive with bustle skirts, short bolero jackets with wide pants in beige and ivory net; all worn with an embroidered belt
and structured jackets. The beige and red collection
had a muted shine and sparkled with the nostalgia of a bygone era. These were highlighted with gold and silver lace and a generous sprinkle of Swarovski crystals.

Adding drama to the collection were the long sheer coats with scalloped hemlines and draped bodies. Also included were the short and long capes worn with tunics and trousers. The saris came in ethereal apparitions marked by placement embroidery all over lace or embroidered georgettes, sometimes worked over
with Swarovski crystal.

Lavish trims such as crystal flowers, feathers with Swarovski and bejeweled brooches were used as headgear in a close crop. The perky velvet skull caps with three dimensional metallic embroidery were complemented by feathers in muted colours, sitting pretty on perfectly groomed 1910 inspired hairdos.