Oh nooooo…..just two weeks ago, Jhaan mentioned Satya Paul: Indian fashion designer, creator of beautiful saris, a man who didn’t rush to the tacky embrace of East-meets-West “fusion” clothing, the very antithesis of my favorite whipping boy, Anand Jon.
Well, apparently succumbing to the siren song of “global presence,” Satya Paul presents his April 2005 India Fashion Week collection in NY tonight. From the press release:
Satya Paul, the premier Indian designer label recognized internationally for its haute couture, saris, fabrics, neckties and accessories, is unveiling a dazzling new collection of apparel and drapes in New York. The collection will be modeled by Indian beauty queens and film stars at a gala benefit at the Broadway Ballroom of the Marriot Marquis, on Saturday, September 10, at 7:00 pm.
But wait! Before you grab your wallet and run out the door – there’s more:
The multi-media show will highlight a fusion of the East and West. The mythological Sita – heroine of the Indian epic, the Ramayana – will be “teamed” with Madonna, the entertainment legend. The Madonna who appears in Satya Paul’s collection mirrors the star in her self confidence and sophistication. At her core is Sita, the woman of timeless elegance, mystery and purity. Satya Paul’s collection brings out the sensuality of the East, blended with the gritty worldliness of the West.
Just so you don’t miss this fusion, the collection is named Madonna Meets Sita. The timeless Eastern elegance of Sita, wrapped in the Western confidence of Madonna….get it?
(I wonder if they’ll play “Like a Virgin” as the models strut the ramp…..I’m sure Madonna wouldn’t resist a man with ten heads, either…..j/k!! don’t send Hanuman after me too!! )Anyway, here are my questions: Is self-awareness out of fashion? Is Irony not mentioned in the ancient Vedic texts? Is cheesiness contagious? Does expanding one’s business mean holding a straight face while reciting the most apalling stream of bullsh*it imaginable?
Just asking. I mean, sure, PR is not something to be taken seriously. But can’t I, just once, hope for an Indian designer who doesn’t follow the same worn-out path to ugly clothes?
A review of this collection:
He had a clear focus this year: “Making sure Indian sensibility is understood, and fusing it with Western modernity.”….[He] named his collection Madonna meets Sita in a three-part collection of whites, blacks and colours.
The collection is aptly themed, to show the purity and traditionality of white, the depth and modernity of black and the colours of life. [link]
That’s some theme, eh? Can your meager mind handle it?
I rather adore the fact that he looks like an adult Anurag Kashyap, and even gave him a pass on the dust-ruffle millinery when we last discussed him. But no more. Anyone who shows “a jewel-encrusted lehenga-choli teamed with an Ipod” as a fashion statement, is dead to me.
Begone Satya. May you be beached on the fickle shoals of ‘fusion’ clothing as you tap dance for the Vesterners. You don’t have Anand’s smarmy glibness (or lustrous tresses) so I doubt you’ll last long…(sniff)
Previous posts: one.
OMG…that Ipod thing was soooo obnoxious! Even somebody as fashion-dense as me can see that as a major no-no.
Cica, I join your call to banish Satya from the Mutiny.
I am stunned, but laughing. This is so absurd and obscene in so many ways, I don’t know where to begin.
Will they set the catwalk on fire?
Laxmi-on-a-thong’s got nothing on this.
Nina,
It just hit me how this must be tragi-comical for you on multiple levels, given your fascinating work in Sitayana. Ouch! I wish someobdoy could point to works like yours and show the likes of Satya what tasteful fusion looks like.
I couldn’t figure out how to do trackback pings on Blogger, but I did just post an excerpt and link to Cicatrix’s article on my web site. Considering the flak I’ve taken for my film-in-progress, this is highly ironic.
I’m not even going to get into this, but I have to say those floppy dust-ruffle milliery things in the bottom pic are The. Fugliest. Thing. Ever. You gave him a pass Cicatrix? WHY?
/wail.
Gasp! A shoutout on the front page of SM! I am awed. Thanks cicatrix; maybe I’ll stop sending in tips that never get printed and only clog up the gang’s mailboxes — I was only doing it for my post of fame. (kidding!)
’tis a pity about Satya Paul’s need to bring ‘eastern’ and ‘western’ sensibilities together. The iPod thing is certainly hideous.
But Saheli, have you checked out some of his stuff that’s for sale? I know on the previous fashion post y’all talked about how different catwalk fashion and practical fashion (the stuff designers sell to the masses) are so very different — cicatrix’s explanation was very clear and very helpful. Maybe the millinerey was for effect? I mean, all the big names in New York’s fashion week do some pretty outrageous stuff that no one is ever meant to wear off of a catwalk.
I certainly am still in love with the saris I saw in India Sari Palace. Maybe one day when I make enough money, I’ll splurge on one. So lovely and ethereal. :: sigh :: It was like a well-made DVF dress – you can’t help but want to look at it, non-stop.
PS. maybe there is still hope:
quote: Puneet for Satya Paul (Puneet is Satya Paul’s son) named his collection Madonna meets Sita in a three-part collection of whites, blacks and colours.
This seems like a classic case of beta ruining papa’s legacy. 😉 (Must defend love of Satya Paul somehow)
If I see the term “east meets west” one more time… um, I’ll do something not nice. And no, Sita meets Madonna is NOT an improvement on the cliche.
Yeah, what are those hats? They don’t even match.
And correct me if I’m wrong, but I think “east meets west” is code word for “put some beads and sequins and maybe embroidery on skanky club clothes.” At least that’s what I see in this photo (and many others on the Anand Jon website…)
ok…the model to his right(the one grabbing him like a member of the constabulary once held me in Bangalore) has HUGE biceps.
That bulge looks like triceps to me.
Those too. Doesn’t she look decidedly mannish, Vij?
headwear by swiffer?
There are at least two reasons why she’s not, A. Diddy.
To all the boys: Get yerself some swag by Sandy Dalal. VERY nicely cut clothes. And no east meets west drama. Just nice clothes sans pretentiousness – is that a word? Will cost you a bit more than your pocket change, but those of you who enjoy fine threads will appreciate. Actually not sure if he is still operating under his own label……
Girls (and some boys) will appreciate the designer himself – cute, cute, cutey!
No, no, no, no. Who cares about East meets West? It already has and has and has. Where did cinnamon come from. Globalization and trade are eons old.
The ipod outfit: ridiculous. Get rid of the white thing on the head, keep the same proportions of the lengha but shorten the bottom part and get rid of the white filmy and silvery material. Make over in a ridiculous natural fabric: the palest almost white beige suede, maybe. Ok, not suede, but something smooth. I am serious. Pair with kick-ass slouchy Donna Karan style boots: red maybe or keep the brown theme. Have the model not smile and mess up her hair. Big time. Tawny, tall, pouty, pink-lipped column of smooth brown skin and fluid brown fabric. Walk fierce, like the fashionistas say.
It is not hard to do this. What is wrong with these people? Think, think, think, and get over the desi sh*t. Just be.
Aargh, I mispelled like a million words. Sorry. Tired, drinking chai, shouldn’t be here but working on stuff. Oh, my aching head……
Don’t ask.
its funny, cuz on one hand you have the indians who act like they were born in the rong family, and the ones hu so desperately want to be white that they ruin their already crappy lives, and then we hav these guys…hu r just like the latter except they give it a new name..fusion. jesus.
“There are at least two reasons why she’s not, A. Diddy.”
Could of been man boobs, plastic, hormone thingees. Look his/her/it’s adam’s apple is covered by her scarf, so fooling the world. The next photo is Satya’s special hirja “friend” threating to pull her skirt up if the gathered ranks of fashionistas don’t pay up….
Just looks like a muscular girl to me. I think you are looking at her in a relative sense to her more scrawny counterpart on the right. And she has a six pack people – that takes work! Give props where props are due.
Since when have ex-Soviet shot putters been a feature of Fashion Shows. This taking East meets West toooo Far.
Still think its a case of indefinate gender
Children, stop jeering! That’s what a normal woman looks like….at least when set against those emaciated giraffes known as models. I highly doubt she looks squat and/or trannylike, and in real life, I bet her arms are far from pythons.
In fact, according to the review (link in post) the model to his right is:
valued customer…hmpf! I can’t hink of a better reason for the unionization of the modeling industry. We need a rule of thumb, yaar? If it looks fugly on a model, we know we shouldn’t think twice about it. But if they let ‘valued customers’ of all shapes walk the ramp….how will we judge? (and do we not quietly judge? always?) Chaos, I tell you! CHOAS!
Jhaan, I get what you’re saying about beta ruining papa’s legacy…but the ‘he’ in that quote could have refered to Puneet or Satya.
sidenote: WHY is Indian fashion journalism so bad? It’s so cloying, gushy, breathily lowely-lowely, fake-tastic. ech.
I think this collection was all daddy’s design, but Puneet might just be the plonker behind the PR though, so the name “Madonna meets Sita” could have arisen from the steaming horseshit in his cranium.
Suheli, sorry about giving the dust-ruffles a pass. The saris I saw were so lovely, I couldn’t help giving him the benefit of the doubt. Like the red one in the post..how beautiful is that!?
I want more Eastern clothes dammit. Saris and kurtas and salwar kameez styles that don’t look a fat aunty bought them for me, you know? And I can’t understand why these stupid designers continue to(in Andrea’s perfect description) “put some beads and sequins and maybe embroidery on skanky club clothes” and call it fusion.
I just hope that my nagging falls on receptive ears, so someday (when I can afford more than a handkerchief from these designer places) the will be racks of dreamy outfits..just waiting for me to pick my faves 🙂
Haute designers generally don’t come out with nice, tasteful clothes. But I saw no shortage of such clothes when I was in Trivandrum. Parthas, that was the place. They peddled tacky stuff, but there were plenty of very, very nice outfits there too. Wish I could go back.
I hear ya, Cica!
I love the fancy lenghas and such, but for me when I’m dropping that kind of coin, it’s sad that I don’t get enough occasions to max out the desi wardrobe.
I’m thirsting for something not-so couture, something I could wear to dinner with friends on a random Thursday night. But if I hear “east meets west” one more time, I’m going to throw up brocade and sequinned chunks!!
Mandira Bedi, FYI, is the Indian Cricket’s answer to the Dallas Cowgirls Cheerleading Squad. She would sit and make(a few)inane comments during the Cricket World Cup in 2003. This together with her skimpy clothes on set made her the darling of adolescents across the country. Men wanted to have her, women wanted to be her.
Hmm….looks like she’s been more regular at the gym than me. As an entirely gratuitous aside, might I point out that the …umm…points that Manish mentions to counter my mannish claim, are quite significant. As viewers of Cricket World Cup 2003 will attest to….uncleji included 🙂
People – for my shameless plug of the week, try http://www.fabindia.com. I like the men’s clothes, and the women’s clothes appear not-ridiculous and yet fashio forward.
Yes indeed Auntieji in gora cloth is pretty but clad her in a well tailored salwar and she is transformed into a godess. However the plungin choli she worn at the last wedding we attended so impressed the menfolk, than uncleji was forced to play the role of alpha man wielding empty bottles of mr walker to protect his mate.
The only problem is that when we are out and about and Uncleji is in the safari suit and Auntieji is in her polyester salwar & dupataa combo, I do feel Self conscious that maybe we are projecting the image of evil punjabi husband and downtrodden wife. What you all think ?
Regarding the cricket bimbo I remain immune to her alleged charms.
Uncleji,
No doubt in “classic” beige or pastel blue, I presume ?
Only if you insist on walking 10 feet in front of her…..