Reynu Taandon unlocks the secrets of the bygone era, with her ode to red, creating new metaphors of memory in “Surkh”
By Asmita Aggarwal
Human response to a pandemic of this proportion is always varied— some lose hope, while others find a ray of light in the gloomy clouds of darkness. Store closures, brands vanishing, people stuck in the quagmire of despondency has created an anxiety of sorts. The only way out of the current crisis is to be a bit like Reynu Taandon, take precautions, but keep marching forward.
Just before the lockdown, she had a few orders, which she could implement just in the nick of time, with the Middle-East market is turmoil, she has been concentrating on revenues from weddings, which have been either postponed to the next year or are happening with limited capacity. “Most of my consulting is happening through video conferencing. We offer advice as well as help with queries after the lockdown opened and restrictions were relaxed,” she says.
This year, Reynu has ignited an old world charm, and found a jewel-in-the-crown kind of location not far from Delhi, at the Raja Nahar Singh Palace, Ballabhgarh, Faridabad, Haryana, built in the 17 century for her fashion film, shot with eight models. “Surkh, or the vivaciousness of the colour red is what entrapped me this season, it is what the world needs. It embodies the elements of passion and conventional beliefs,” she adds. The palace had ready-made glamour, even if she wanted she couldn’t have created the fabulous minarets or the imposing facades. “It took some serious searching, but the gotta patti and vintage zardosi seemed to have found a soulmate in the background we shot our film,” she adds.
Every bride, Reynu explains, wants to look royal, and even though she hasn’t worked with fuchsia and soft pinks before, she hopes she has done justice. Most of the line is executed in Chanderi as she wanted to work with a handwoven fabric, with a smattering of net to offer transparency, if the bride wants a dupatta that shows off her bridal updo. Raw silk, georgette saris, block and foil prints, sprinkling of Swarovski to playing with her favourite Marori work, 36 outfits reflect the mood of the modern bride. “I got back to using salma-sitara, but in a lighter tone, just to add a bit of sunshine in everyone’s life,” she smiles.
Unlike the popular perception that weddings are now muted, Reynu dispels the myth, brides want the full nine yards, even though she offers them fainter versions, they desire the more opulent ones. “The good part about this deadlock is the luxury of time, which is why I have revisited what I used to do several years ago, until I got caught up with the maniac pace of modern existence. Antique zardosi and intricate pearl work has been included to give a stately demeanour,” she concludes.