I DRESS FOR THE APPLAUSE

HAND-ME-DOWNS

-EDITORIAL-

Photography by Nikkhil Bareli 
Assisted by Jitendra Sai Bhagavatula

Concept, Styling, Modelling & Editing by me

Apart from working on the creative aspects of my projects which gives me a soul satisfying sense of personal accomplishment, I love the fact that I get to work with new people which always turns out to be an interesting experience. For this post, I collaborated with Nikkhil Bareli who is a talented photographer from Hyderabad. Nikkhil and I haven't known each other personally, however I remember us getting in touch two years ago (back when there was no existence of I Dress for the Applause) for a project which did not materialize for some reason. Good things take time. When we decided to work on this creative, there was a quick exchange of ideas with the verve to create something new. I'm so glad that Nikkhil was able to understand my vision which very well translated in the images.

Creating something like this has been on my mind for the longest time and I couldn’t be happier to bring this project to life. This post holds an extremely special place in my heart, reason being that it features my mother's wedding dress. I remember trying it out as a kid years ago and drowning into it completely. Time slips through our hands like grains of sand, never to return again.
Shooting this story in a place like this was one of a kind experience. The walls that tell you a thousand stories, the corners that hold so many secrets, the place that is dark yet has shafts of light passing in through the roof, leave me all intrigued. This dress called the khada dupatta worn as a kurta with a long sleeveless overcoat, choodhidar and a dupatta as long as 6 yards is a quintessential wedding ensemble worn by the women of the Nizam era. This dress in particular was designed years ago by a local designer whose name I really wish I could know, only to appreciate his remarkable work. The massive dupatta, the exquisite fabric, and the luster this dress has even after so many years, makes it an old world beauty that is so hard to find in this time. Unfortunately, they don’t make them like this anymore. 

 There are always those special things that hold a big significance in your life, that take you back to the memories that changed a young girl into a woman, that are not things but life itself, that are handed down from your mother to you. Those special things that are called hand-me-downs.

-Naznin

P.S- Thank you Nikkhil for working with me on this. It was a wonderful experience shooting with you.