I hope you will go out and let stories, that is life, happen to you, and that you will work with these stories... water them with your blood and tears and your laughter till they bloom, till you yourself burst into bloom,” writes Clarissa Pinkola Estés in her book Women Who Run With the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype. This quote is more than just words strung together for designer Anavila Misra, whose new spring/summer collection, Bloom, resonates the sentiment embodied by this quote.

“The strength of a bloom is in its fragility, like that of a woman in her love. Bloom is woven with the intricacies of love, strength and honour. As once the flower said to the forest ‘I bloom because I am’ — Bloom beautifully draws the relationship between inner strength and the blooming of a flower. I was inspired by the book to put this collection together,” said Anavila about Bloom.

Anavila Misra

Beautiful bright colours seem to present a symbol of hope in these times of despondence as the campaign images show a woman embodying the spirit of “her” that Estés perhaps writes about. At once, she’s a girl and a woman; she holds a book with as much love as she holds her dolls. There is abandon in her spirit yet she knows how to nurture, grow and let grow. “The collection uses strong colours of the forest, the sky and the earth with floral and bird motifs. Silhouettes are easy and comfortable with clean lines. All garments have hidden details to indulge the wearer in an intricate discovery,” added Anavila.

Designed largely on breathable linens and occasionally on silks and cottons, Bloom has been concieved for the hot, Indian summer days. Drape a pop of colours with the yellow and pink sari as you seamlessly move from day to evening or layer up with summer jackets or kaftan blouses in effortless, easy style.

Bloom is a collection by Anavila that draws from the thrill, fragility and the power of a woman’s love.

Pictures courtesy: Anavila