Maharaja give style a whole new
meaning that would continue
through the centuries. Among
other things, he replaced the
traditional headgear, a pre-tied
turban, withsafa—12 metres of
fabric that had to be tied afresh
every time.
While the ancestor of the
bandhgalaexisted during this
era, elements like the padding
in the shoulder structure
of the jacket, the signature
interlining, and its tenacity
arrived much later when the
courts adopted the jacket as
their dress code. Fast forward
a few centuries, and it is
amazing to see the pervasive
nature of this relic. Often seen
in the window displays of luxe
designer stores across the
world, it now inspires fashion
aspirants and sets global
design and lifestyle trends.
The extraordinary
journey of thebandhgalacan
be seen as the precursor to
‘Make in India’. The jacket is
the perfect ambassador of
traditional Indian style in the
contemporary world. What
makes it more interesting is
that it can be worndifferently
in different parts of the world;
in New York, for example,
I remember pairing it with
jeans. Many of the people I
met expressed a desire for one
instantly; they were from all
walks of life, suggesting the
universality of its appeal.
Asked constantly wherefrom somewhere—to create
and add value, season after
season, in the art of heritage
clothing. I attribute this
energy to a small place I visit
more often than any other—a
small village midway between
Jodhpur and Udaipur, named
Narlai. This place has its own
rustic charm; it is surrounded
by a forest where one’s mind
is free to roam. Apart from
the untamed wilderness, the
tribes that coexist in the region
inspire endless ideas.
Rajasthan has so much
to offer to the creative mind.
One gets to meet aristocratic
families who are keen to
preserve their culture. Various
styles of thebandhgalacan
be seen as you traverse the
state—the more regal ones
in places like RAAS Jodhpur,
Umaid Bhawan Palace, and
the Taj Lake Palace, and as
you get closer to the jungle,
lighter colours complement
different cuts and styles.
Outdoorsy people are found
draped in sporty versions of the
bandhgalaat places like Aman-
i-Khás near Ranthambhore,
The Serai, Suján’s luxury tented
camp in Jaisalmer, and at the
Rawla Narlai, near Ranakpur.These excursions to remote
dwellings are the ultimate
in luxury. And the mind of a
designer is like a sponge that
constantly absorbs from its
surroundings. Any cues on
aesthetics that are unique
trigger storms of imagination.
Experiences like these are akin
to picture postcards that one
can save up in the attic of the
mind and reach out to when
needed, to create moodboards
for a new collection. Small
artefacts of yesteryear, tribal
jewellery, wall textures—
preserved relics of the past
come together in the mind to
create new interpretations of
fashion, which replace the ones
from the last season and cater
to modern times. The past
always feeds the present.TIPPING POINTIn 1994, Mehar Bhasin walked the
ramp in a 1,200-year-old Jodhpur
fort, wearing a beigebandhgala
paired with Jodhpur breeches.one can buy the jacket, I started
a small studio 24 years ago
to tailorbandhgalajackets
for men and women out of a
quaint, little room in a corner
of my house. Little did I know
that the power of the jacket
would attract stalwarts from
across the globe. In 1994, Mehar
Bhasin walked down the ramp
in a 1,200-year-old Jodhpur fort,
wearing a beige version of this
bandhgalapaired with Jodhpur
breeches. The jacket was
sharply tailored and fit her body
like a glove on a hand; it had
two satin princess panels on
the sides. As Bhasin descended
the stairs in the zenana section
of the magnificent fort, it was
the first time that audiences in
India witnessed the profound
impact of a tailoredbandhgala.
This was the tipping point and
a perfect place to start the story
of the Raghavendra Rathore
Jodhpurbandhgala. The jacket
also has a sleeveless version,
called thebandhgalawaistcoat.
Inspiration must comeThe ornate dome of
the Umaid Bhawan
Palace in Jodhpur.
Right: Horsemen
wearing traditional
Rajasthani costume.FROM TOP: COURTESY OF AMAN-I-KHÁS; HEMIS/ALAMY; UNIVERSAL IMAGES GROUP/GETTYIMA
GES
The open spaces at
Aman-i-Khás are
inspired by local
colour palette.travelandleisureindia.in