Alumna’s Fashions Display Modern and Traditional Touches

Designs by Priya Bhikha ’10 were featured in her show, 13 = B, at Harker’s Saratoga campus on a sunny Friday morning in August. Outfits included saris, salwar kameezes and churidars, modernized.

“Although I do identify with Indian culture, a large part of who I am is American,” said Bhikha. “I’ve added elements of Indian fashion to a more modern take of the ’50s. I love the feminine silhouettes of the mid-20th century.”

Bhikha’s 13 designs, mostly suited for young women, included an elegant red sari with detailed gold patterns and a polished yellow churidar with gold embroidery that would turn heads in any setting.  Another notable outfit was a more traditional lovely gray sari with beautiful sequin work.

Bhikha, whose recycled designs were featured in the 2009 Harker Fashion Show, “Outside the Box: Chic and Unique,” also had a number of items for sale. Following the runway portion of the show, many of the 50-plus attendees browsed the items on display. Sales were good, said Bhikha, who already has a special order for an outfit for an acquaintance attending an Indian wedding later this year.

Bhikha is set on a career in fashion and is in the process of developing her website, www.beemusing.tumblr.com. Her challenges in putting the Harker show together included coordinating the accessories for each outfit and matching them to her models. “I’m really happy with my models,” she said. “I thought it went well.”

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