Baroque blooms big at Rimzim Dadu's India Couture Week showcase: A look at its sartorial legacy on the runway (2024)

The curtain will be falling today, July 31, on the illustrious Hyundai India Couture Week 2024 in association with Reliance Brands Limited, an FDCI initiative, currently underway in New Delhi. Prior to the rather dramatic off-site Tarun Tahiliani showcase redo, Rimzim Dadu saw through a seamless showcase of her own latest couture collection, titled Stucco. The line was predictably metallic, playing heavy on texture and fit-and-flare silhouettes, a signature move for Rimzim. However, the unmissable ode to Baroque is what took center stage with Stucco. Rimzim's reimagined take on Baroque inadvertently puts the spotlight on its priceless value as an endless source of inspiration.

What is Baroque?

Baroque is an umbrella term encapsulating architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry and honestly any kind of fluid art. Essentially a descendant of the Renaissance era, Baroque flourished thoroughly in the first half of the 18th century, after having originated in the early years of the 17th century. Spanning centuries of cultural stronghold, Baroque then offers endless fodder and scope for consistent reinterpretation, something which has of course found its way onto the runway, both globally as well as on home turf. The latest in this regard is Rimzim's India Couture Week showcase.

Rimzim's ode to Baroque has been 18 years in the making

There are no borders when it comes to inspiration for creating art and Rimzim Dadu's nearly two-decade long legacy is testament to that. The couturier has affirmatively established her avant-garde aesthetic as almost mainstream — but then again not quite, courtesy of the refreshing innovation the brand is known for.

Of the many wings of Baroque, what inspired Rimzim the most were Baroque architecture and music. Metallic cords and steel wires are the foundation of a Rimzim Dadu original. Where Indian craftsmanship makes an entry here, is through the zardozi technique, striking a near-perfect balancing act between the past and the future. Baroque cages dominated the runway, a standout specimen of which was showstopper Sobhita Dhulipala's pristine white bustier. Ostrich feathers, the statement detail in Sobhita's high-waisted form-fitting floor length skirt, also featured strongly across several ensembles.

A piece definitely worth the mention is the bronze-red gown, laden in ostrich feathers trailing down from a plunging bust, flanked by Rimzim's sculptured crystal waves.

Hooded couture made a brief resurgence in forest green, of course Baroque-coded. Also eye-grabbing were the Baroque-esque tie up heels with a dramatic ostrich feather-front, imitating vines trailing up the muse's legs.

Baroque on the runway

Baroque has in kind, been around for centuries. The vintage charm of its aesthetic however, stands greatly updated in recent years on the runway, living on in a niche crevice of its own. Louis Vuitton's Fall 2020 show for instance, featured 46 looks encapsulating luxury fashion spanning 500 years. Baroque of course had its moment in these fits, making quite the statement in ruffles and layered textures atop modern-day silhouettes like sports jackets and graphic tees. If there's absolutely anything to take away from the LV Fall 2020 show is that Baroque is not basic.

Not long after, in September 2022, Maria Grazia Chiuri presented Dior's ready-to-wear Spring-Summer 2023 collection at Paris Fashion Week. With 16th century matriarch Catherine de Medici as the central inspiration, the show made exciting shifts between looks cataloguing hoop skirts, Baroque-coded goth, delicate blooms and quite literally, the map of Paris.

More recently, the Balmain Fall-Winter 2023 show elevated formal silhouettes, with the French fashion house's own take on Baroque cages. This line of looks took the ramp laced with pearls, and an abundance of them at that. The precision with which pearls lined the modern silhouettes aped the allure of Baroque architecture, making for quite the tribute.

Going nearly a decade back, Moschino had presented a very literal take on the aesthetic in the spotlight, marrying it with rock n' roll and sport. Think, an electric blue speedo paired with nothing but layered neckpieces and a bourgeoning monarch crown.

This year's edition of the India Couture Week will be ending today, July 31 with Falguni Shane Peaco*ck's closing show, set to be held at New Delhi's Taj Palace, Durbar Hall.