Oh nooooo…..just two weeks ago, Jhaan mentioned Satya Paul: Indian fashion designer, creator of beautiful saris, a man who didn’t rush to the tacky embrace of East-meets-West “fusion” clothing, the very antithesis of my favorite whipping boy, Anand Jon.

Well, apparently succumbing to the siren song of “global presence,” Satya Paul presents his April 2005 India Fashion Week collection in NY tonight. From the press release:
Satya Paul, the premier Indian designer label recognized internationally for its haute couture, saris, fabrics, neckties and accessories, is unveiling a dazzling new collection of apparel and drapes in New York. The collection will be modeled by Indian beauty queens and film stars at a gala benefit at the Broadway Ballroom of the Marriot Marquis, on Saturday, September 10, at 7:00 pm.
But wait! Before you grab your wallet and run out the door - there’s more:
The multi-media show will highlight a fusion of the East and West. The mythological Sita - heroine of the Indian epic, the Ramayana - will be “teamed” with Madonna, the entertainment legend. The Madonna who appears in Satya Paul’s collection mirrors the star in her self confidence and sophistication. At her core is Sita, the woman of timeless elegance, mystery and purity. Satya Paul’s collection brings out the sensuality of the East, blended with the gritty worldliness of the West.
Just so you don’t miss this fusion, the collection is named Madonna Meets Sita. The timeless Eastern elegance of Sita, wrapped in the Western confidence of Madonna….get it?
(I wonder if they’ll play “Like a Virgin” as the models strut the ramp…..I’m sure Madonna wouldn’t resist a man with ten heads, either…..j/k!! don’t send Hanuman after me too!! )
Anyway, here are my questions: Is self-awareness out of fashion? Is Irony not mentioned in the ancient Vedic texts? Is cheesiness contagious? Does expanding one’s business mean holding a straight face while reciting the most apalling stream of bullsh*it imaginable?
Just asking. I mean, sure, PR is not something to be taken seriously. But can’t I, just once, hope for an Indian designer who doesn’t follow the same worn-out path to ugly clothes?
A review of this collection:
He had a clear focus this year: “Making sure Indian sensibility is understood, and fusing it with Western modernity.”….[He] named his collection Madonna meets Sita in a three-part collection of whites, blacks and colours.
The collection is aptly themed, to show the purity and traditionality of white, the depth and modernity of black and the colours of life. [link]

That’s some theme, eh? Can your meager mind handle it?
I rather adore the fact that he looks like an adult Anurag Kashyap, and even gave him a pass on the dust-ruffle millinery when we last discussed him. But no more. Anyone who shows “a jewel-encrusted lehenga-choli teamed with an Ipod” as a fashion statement, is dead to me.
Begone Satya. May you be beached on the fickle shoals of ‘fusion’ clothing as you tap dance for the Vesterners. You don’t have Anand’s smarmy glibness (or lustrous tresses) so I doubt you’ll last long…(sniff)
Previous posts: one.




