Occidental fascination in art and fashion for india by Estelle Arielle Bouchet

Occidental fascination in Art and Fashion for India

By Estelle Arielle Bouchet

Ladies and Gentlemen It’s such a joy and honor for me to develop my European point of view about your great Indian fashion. I’ll try to find out with you the real roots and reasons of this huge fascination.

Along my art critic career and fashion and costume journalist, I could experiment for the last 20 years how much India inspires and fascinates Occident. My focus will mainly regard Europe, Italy where I live and work and France my native country, the States.

Concerning the States, in NY, in 1985, the finest world art editor Franco Maria Ricci from Parma published a book entitled ‘Rajah’ for the occasion of the exhibition ‘ Costume of Royal India’, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art if NY, cured by Diana Freeland. The object of this special Indian event in the States was to lay the empasis on the magnificence of Indian traditional costumes. Profusion of gold and colors, jade, Indian pink, turquoise, orange and browns. Both book and exhibition knew great success.

Thus, in his famous art magazine FMR, Mr. Ricci is very inclined to choose Indian topics. I remember to have written an article about Qajar Costume which Persian royal portraits are very influenced by Indian court costumes: Jewels, turbans, magnificent embroideries and extremely detailed and refined garments; and so many articles and books have been inspired by Indian items.

If you allow me I would wish to reiterate colors profusion in India and to insist on the importance of colors which is one of the most attractive Indian traits for occident's. India is colors and colors are life. If you walk away in Paris, you’ll notice that most of the people wear black, grey, brown clothes. All this dark brings sadness. Color is energy, color is Joy. Some initiated and cultivated occidentals understand the symbology and esoterical properties of colors which directly derive from your ancestral knowledge.

In Venezia Baroness Franchetti who’s illustrious family gave to the City of the Doges the Ca d’ Oro Museum, created a few years ago, ‘Il centro del colore’ the center of colors studying the energies and capacities provided by colors. The nowadays occidental chromotherapy is Indian based on curing the chakras. Each chakra corresponds to a color.

The art of ‘Pierre et Gilles’ two very fashionably connected artists working for campaigns of Jean Paul Gaultier in France, of Gai Mattiolo in Italy and created the last Lancome icon: a portrait of a young model surrounded of roses is very Indian orientated.

P.et G. are represented by e modern art gallery Jerome de Noirmont in Paris.

There house in Paris suburb is a kind of Indian Kitsch ‘Folie’.

Still Pierre et Gilles opera remains more aesthetically oriented than spiritually inspired. But the interest of their work is that the unique source of their multiple inspiration is India.

In a more purist style an Egyptian gentleman opts for an Oriental style for his house in Paris and Cairo.

Beside artistic expression in fields of editing, painting and decorating, story is also very eloquent about occident's fascinations for India. Interests for India is not new, it began two centuries ago with German romantics. I would not insists on colonialist period until the independence not always synonym of love and respect, but more on the time of the early 70’s. the students revolution of 68 undoubtly orientated his unrealistic ideas on the scene of India which became for the occidental youth an earth of predilection. ‘Return from Katmandu's had great impact both on British music creation and European fashion. Young men allow themselves to have long hair, to wear bright colors, flowered stamped shirts and jewels. It’s a mere revolution on the diktat of British style, far from bowler hats and narrow ties.

A thirst of freedom which expresses itself through travels, thirst of a flou spirituality of a lost paradise to explore through new patterns of life.

In music field, still now days the ultimate success of Punjabi MC is eloquent about how much Indian artistic expression is adored. The American rap music inspired

by Arabic and Indian rhythms are especially appreciated.

I think about JAY.Z which composed with Punjabi MC. These Indian- Occidentals unions conceive gorgeous artistic children.

The only approach for an occidental about India is to feel it because India does not speak to the mind but the soul.

Returning to fashion which is the main purpose of FDCI’s extraordinary event, in the mid 70’s YSL chose Kirat, an Indian beauty to represent haute couture.

Perfumes also followed this trend. Opium’s campaigns evoke confined and luxury harem, woman in ecstatic attitude amid profusion of jewels and brocade. Famous French perfumes ‘s maison ‘Guerlain’ created Shalimar and then Samsara. Two oriental orientations, the first one speaking more to the senses, the second two soul and spirituality.

The recent and effective presence of Louis Vuitton in India does not request more comments and significates that excellency considers India an important market on the economical international scene. India is important for occident's for two reasons: source of artistic inspiration and economical interest.

In cosmetic fields, the choice of Aishwariya Rai to represent L’Oreal Paris is also a symbol of occident's fascination for Indian beauty.

In refined European women’s wardrobe Pashmina and Shawl became ‘Classics’.

In Italy Etro has developed a successful Kashmir line’s luggage and handbags.

Roberto Cavalli has reinterpreted the Indian Baroque Style with his colored stamped jeans mixing leopard and flowers.

Roberto Cavalli’s perfume campaign for publicity is also very Indian orientated: A woman laid on the sand seems to make love with a snake and became by semantic fusion a snake woman.

The use of Khol for Chanel fashion shows and publicity searches the mystery of kajal looks.

A local Italian cosmetic firm collistar focuses its makeup line on Indian look. In publicity India is more and more present. I think about 206 Peugeot campaign, story of a young Indian man which dreams to get 206 car and transform his old ambassador car in a 206 with the help of an elephant to appeal Indian beauties.

Italian Vogue consacred last march issue about ladies from Bombay, with the help of Mr. Tikka Singh which organized between Italian Vogue and Tatler shootings.

Last year I organized a shooting for Italian GQ with Guess USA. Megan Ewing was protagonist. The Indian accents were at the same time strong and subtle. Guess new collection with golden embroideries follow the east tendency.

Either in artistic expression, in fashion creation or cosmetics research, these occidental choices don’t happen at random, they follow the rules of the market and of what people want.

Why people actually want India?

India inspires dream and one wants to dream in a nowadays world full of conflicts and wars. I would say that further than merely aesthetic considerations, occident's thirst of spirituality and harmony gradually grows and India is the water of ‘Peace’ on the earth of Mahatma Gandhi.