Poonam Bhagat`s summer collection, a slice of Samarkand, Bokhara

New Delhi: Poonam Bhagat offers a mix of contemporary silhouettes with a traditional twist with her latest summer-spring collection. From stylish one-piece dresses and jumpsuits to voluminous long robes worn with shararas, palazzos and crinkle skirts -- it has plenty to choose from.

One can also choose from jackets, capes and elegant saris beautifully embellished with intricate threadwork and sequin work Bhagat has transformed her travel experiences into designs for her new collection and titled it A Slice of Samarkand and a Bite of Bokhara. "It is inspired by the tapestries of Uzbekistan, predominantly the suzani, which is an embroidered tribal textile. Suzanis usually have a cotton base, which is embroidered in silk or cotton thread," she explained. "Suzanis were traditionally made by the brides to be as part of their dowry and presented to their husbands on their wedding day," added Bhagat, who started working on the collection a couple of months back. The colour palette for the new collecting boasts brightness of reds as well as black and ivory. One can also see hints of yellows, rust and orange. "Indigos and teals were also introduced to create a contrast that was dramatic and alluring," said Bhagat. The trendy outfits have been created using fabrics like silk, chanderi and cotton are embellished with motifs in varied shapes like sun and moon discs, flowers, leaves and vines. Couching has also been done extensively on the fabrics and explaining the technique, she said: "Couching is process in which a coloured thread laid on the fabric is stitched with the help of another second thread." Beautiful flowers are embroidered on the fabric using anchor threads and various dori techniques along with bold appliqued `chakra` designs. Some garments are also embroidered with burnished gold and bronze threads creating patterns of leaves and tulips. Digitally printed capes and saris are also especially created out of turning central Asian motifs into abstract forms. "I used Vrinda Gokhale`s paper jewellery specially handcrafted by her for this collection because both the garments and the jewels have an organic natural feel. They go together beautifully. The red and the emerald paper necklaces offset the embroideries and appliques on the garments without taking away from them. The styling of all outfits was contemporary with a traditional twist," said Bhagat. The price range starts from Rs.8,000 and goes up to Rs.18,000. IANS