Bright, beautiful and feel-good. That sums up the vibe of Gopi Vaid’s latest collection Saawariya. Vaid describes the label as “Indian at heart and global in spirit” in this chat with t2. Excerpts.
Gopi Vaid
The collection is such a happy one! What was your inspiration for Saawariya?
I did think that Saawariya is a really happy collection. It’s youthful and fun. The inspiration comes from the Gujarat mirrorwork lehngas where they have used resham, mirrorwork and we have added a touch of gold antique sequins and lots of fun elements like the fumtas and the pompoms as fringe accents. The silhouettes are all youthful.
These are great for the upcoming festive season as well as for various bridal occasions...
Yeah, these are really great for the upcoming festive season. They are best worn at the Haldi and Mehndi functions. You dress them up and down with jewellery of course with maybe maangtika. It doesn’t need much because it is already so vibrant. You could just wear a pantsuit and bralette with a cape.
You love colours. What is the happiest colour for you?
I do love colours and my favourite colour is rani pink, in different tones. I feel the touch of rani pink does make the whole ensemble come alive.
Is there a colour of the season?
The colour of the season surprisingly is off-white and pastel colours. That is why I made Diana Penty walk in off-white. My son is getting married in February and we really brainstormed what the bride should wear. We tried several colours and the bride just gravitated to off-white. We’ve done pastels and off-whites. People are not really indulging in a typical red for a bride.
Who is your favourite muse?
My favourite muse is Shilpa (Shetty). I totally love her energy and youthfulness. Diana too has this youthful character in her. Her demeanour is elegant and she brings the garment alive. All my silhouettes have had that little bit of a fun element. I don’t like a fashion show to be very serious and sombre because my clothes don’t speak that way.
How have the brides changed for you?
They are strong-minded and know exactly what they want. There’s so much available on the Internet that it’s wonderful that when a bride walks in she knows exactly what she wants to wear. Brides today are not listening to their parents or their in-laws. The outfit brings about their own character.
How have you kept the youthful vibe going for the label?
The label has always stood for bringing the Indian heart but with a modern connotation.