The first edition of Festa Italiana was celebrated at DLF Emporio in New Delhi on December 1, where one of the highlights was the Couture showcase of Vaishali S Couture by Vaishali Shadangule.
Fests Italiana was organized by the Indo-Italian Chamber of Commerce.
I only recently met Vaishali in person for the first time. When she invited me to her couture presentation I told her I was dying to take pictures, so I ended up taking pictures of her beautiful creations! I’m so glad you asked! I haven’t been this passionate about fashion photography in a long time. Vaishali has been in the scene since launching her label in 2004. It was an honor and privilege for me to see her work backstage and see the final look on the runway at such a prestigious event.
behind the scenes
It’s hard to miss, but if you don’t know, I love behind-the-scenes photoshoots above Paris. I took pictures backstage for the first time in at least a year and a half, and I was nervous. (I know, even though I’ve been doing this show for 20 years, I’m still nervous!) I felt like I was being slapped in the face by a dizzy child in the middle of a candy store! Vaishali’s work is visually stunning and the attention to detail is incredible. I might as well have taken a lot of medical caffeine. That was the mentality I had. And I didn’t think I would get more information until I got to the tarmac! (More on this later.) For now, take a moment to enjoy the beauty behind the scenes.
airstrip
Clothing details on the runway
One of the best and most nerve-wracking things about photographing an independent couture presentation is that there are no rules. If you’ve ever taken photos at a fashion week, you know that there are a million restrictions: designated areas you can shoot, places you can’t use professional DSLRs, what you can and can’t photograph, things like “hierarchy”, etc.
None of that exists in independent shows! Because while you are liberated, you can literally do whatever you want. It’s a bit like moving out of your parents’ house for the first time and living on your own. No one can tell you when to wake up, when to eat, or what to eat. It brings freedom, but it also brings great responsibility to do the right thing. Metaphor aside, having free hands makes me nervous because I don’t want to spoil my clients as I return to the runway! I pick a spot and it turns out to be the wrong spot and once I start shooting I can’t stop. Because the presentation is over before you can move your hips an inch from their original position!
It was an outdoor show and it was starting to get cold in Delhi and I was wearing a jacket, but by the time I finished taking photos of the show, I was drenched in sweat inside! I literally had to take it off to cool down. And while taking backstage photos, I thought I was WIRED! ha.
Scroll further to see beautiful details of Vaishali’s work.
end note
There are some frames that I thought would look much more glamorous in black and white, and there are also the ones at the end of the couture presentation when Vaishali walks down the runway and leaves with the models. She had an incredibly stiff neck, but she still didn’t look stiff at all! Brava!
Thanks again to Vaishali for the great opportunity! It was such a pleasure to have such beautiful and thoughtful work around. It was one of the coolest and simplest photo jobs I’ve ever had the privilege of doing.
Show Director: Anu Ahuja
