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Nibbling the fashionable way
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Contrary to her designs, Payal Jain doesn't go for too much detailing when it comes to food
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I AM FUSSY AND ADVENTUROUS AT THE SAME TIME PAYAL JAIN
She stands out in her fraternity. Calm, articulate and talking sense, Payal Jain doesn't fit into the typical Delhi designer frame. Still very much like the understated style statements in demand at this year's Lakme India Fashion Week, Payal is chiming, as her Spring-Summer 2006 collection has been accepted well.
Taking a quick bite at New Delhi's The Grand, Payal is fussy and adventurous at the same time. "This reflects in my fashion and food. I am very particular about what I want but at the same time I am ready to incorporate new ideas."
There are a whole lot of Thai delicacies on offer but Payal resists the temptation. "When I am at work, I literally fast for days," says Payal opting for stir-fried vegetables. "At LIFW the way fitting sessions are lined up, you literally have no time to take models out for lunch. When I do my shows, I do take them out for food - sandwiches, pasta and the like. On a daily basis though, I survive on basic food. Breakfast happens to be the main meal of the day punctuated with cereal and milk. And the dinner is almost negligible."
A first-generation designer from her family, Payal says when she started, designing was not considered a respectable profession. "I used to get 80 per cent all through my academic career. Medicine or engineering were seen as careers for me. When I opted for designing it came as a shock to my parents. But they stood by me. With time things have changed. Now the media takes interest in the business side of fashion too," says this graduate from the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, San Francisco.
Tribal inspiration
This year Payal has found inspiration in tribals. Her collection attracts with its multiple surface treatment, lots of detailing without getting messy. "The motivation is a tribal who has visited different parts of the world. There is an interesting use of batik prints and jacquards. Coins, essentially used as jewellery by tribals, have been used as embellishments. The form is western but the soul is very much Indian," sums up Payal.
Phad Thai noodles and wok tossed vegetables smell just right, but the designer sticks to her fried vegetables. With her husband in the travel business, Payal has tasted varied cuisines. "Vietnamese is the latest. I love Japanese and Thai too. Recently I tried Lebanese and I am developing a taste for it. I design for the staff of many hotels. There also I get an opportunity to try different varieties."
An avowed critic of the party culture, there is another side of Payal as well. Most of her shows are for charity, her association with Tamanna, an NGO, is well known and she is eager to extend her limits by writing a book for fashion students and designing for corporate houses. "I don't want to talk about the charity work. I have made it this far without moving on the party circuit. After work, I want to be with my family. Writing books is an attempt to give something back to the profession. As for designing for corporate offices, together with prêt this is the future of Indian fashion."
Talking about the decision to show a summer collection when most are showcasing fall-winter, Payal quips, "Domestic buyers won't be interested in seeing winter wear in this heat. My orders for the winter collection are already through. I wanted to show something new to my clients, so I opted for Spring-Summer."
A mother of male twins, Payal concedes she is not a good cook. "Nothing much beyond eggs. What to do, they have to live with it," smiles Payal, adding Sunday happens to be her day out in the kitchen. "However, I am very particular about the way the table is set. Here my designer sense works well."
ANUJ KUMAR
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