It all began when a friend of mine suggested the idea of a maxi dress, and I designed one for the Spring 2010 collection in an ikat fabric.
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| Sangeetha Maxi, Spring 2010 |
The Sangeetha Maxi sold well. It had a low cut neck and a low back with straps criss-crossing from the shoulder to the back empire level. I ended up getting one for myself only after all the fabric was over- which means I couldn't order a special piece for my length. I got one anyway (yes, out of sheer greed because I had to have one) but never wore it more than once because it was too short for me.
Perhaps that's why I had to design another one.
My second maxi dress was Feather Maxi, an ajrakh printed maxi with a lot of flowing fabric around the knees and ankles.
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| Feather Maxi, Summer 2011 |
I ended up over-ordering fabric for this one (one supplier completely disappeared after delivering 10 out of 100 metres, so I placed an order with another supplier for the same print. Two months later, the first supplier re-emerged from hiding and supplied me the balance fabric, leaving with me 200 metres in total from both suppliers)! But it turned out to be a blessing in disguise because the style did well, and I finally got myself a longer version that I wear very often.
I loved the
Feather Maxi so much that I repeated the same silhouette in a colourful
ikat fabric this summer.
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| Feather Maxi, Summer 2012 |
I just got myself one of these as well, and I'm wearing it today as I write this. I never thought I'd be into long dresses a couple of years ago... and now I resist the urge to wear them every day! I think they are stylish, incredibly versatile, and the fabrics that I generally use (handwoven or block printed) translate really well into maxi dresses.
I'm tempted to make another one for the Monsoon 2012 collection. This time, I thought I'd make it more appropriate for a formal evening occasion (the Feather Maxi dresses work best as day-time or informal pieces because they are cotton and relatively modest). I was thinking of sticking to the same silhouette of a fitted empire, but playing with the neck line and back. Below is a muslin sample of what the style would look like, and I was thinking of making it in a printed silk fabric (perhaps indigo and red, but muted because I'll use natural dyes).
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| The muslin sample for Night Stars Maxi, Monsoon 2012 |
Tell me what you think of Night Stars Maxi for the Monsoon 2012 collection!
3 comments:
:) feel like a proud parent!
Can u make maxis that aren't sleeveless??
Bali: I suppose I feel that the maxi dresses are already so modest and covered (at the leg), that showing a bit of skin around the shoulders is what makes it fresh and young. But let me mull over it some more... maybe it's possible to design something that has a sleeve but is still youthful. Thanks for writing!
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