My muse: The warrior princess

I have been thinking about the Fall'11 collection since June of this year. Usually for me, designing is all in the head. I get a vision that usually stems from something I have seen or am nostalgic about. My Fall'11 muse is a warrior princess, almost like Lena Heady in the movie 300, but more warrior like. I started to analyze my muse, from her character, her strength and finally every aspect of her portrayal. I began the process by researching all kinds of pictures and portrayals of warrior princesses, starting from Valkyries to Cleopatra and even the movie 300 itself. Once the vision is formed, I start pretty much obsessing about every small detail. I even started thinking about making a movie that would showcase the collection in a theatrical style setting (something that is being worked currently).

After much analysis the actual designs start to take shape. I knew I wanted to play with pleats and structure this time. I was thinking about my Bharat Natyam days and how the fan in the costume has such a striking shape and look. I wanted to use the so called "fan" in different ways and forms. I spent days designing and color coordinating about 25-30 designs. Finally, my product is starting to take shape. Next step, fabrics and color finalization.

Enjoy some of the pics that have inspired the designing process.