Feminism and female artists are themes that Bibhu Mohapatra turns to again and again. While the specific narratives he builds around his collections are important to his process, they’re not easy to find in the clothes. The message is clearly and consistently woman-centric though; the seasonal story really revolves around the fabrics and decorative motifs.
For resort, Mohapatra focused on familiar silhouettes in specific material groupings. Cotton was used for the less formal pieces and silk faille for both cocktail and gala looks. Velvets—including a mindress made of carefully aligned strips of fabric—were aimed for holiday dressing. In addition, there were pretty laces and 3D flower flourishes.
Actor Kelli O’Hara wore one of Mohapatra’s more clean-lined looks to the Tony Awards, a white column with a halter neck and a corsage of dimensional black flowers. It would be extreme to call it an outlier, but the majority of the collection featured vibrant colors. One sheath combined burgundy, pink, and an almost neon orange, which is also the hue of a lace that wafted lightly over a plisse gown of softest lavender.
