There’s great period pieces, costumes, colors, fabrics and copious amounts of traditional silhouettes. Thats the embodiment of Anju Modi. Now do these same pieces we see on screen translate well in real life? Sometimes. It all depends on how someone walks or poses that really shows off the ensemble. But a lot of the time it looks like lots of draping.

If we take away all the periodic aspects of the pieces and just analyze the embroidery, patch work, brocade work, and type of fabrics… do we have a high end Indian designer that makes hits for all generations and body types? Lets take a look shall we?

There’s a lot of hits, but sometimes theres some misses as well. The misses usually include something that almost looks like a costume in todays day and age, but doesn’t translate well to a normal individual wearing one. It just looks like the person are drowning in fabrics. Theres so many dupattas, shawls, lenghas layered upon layers. No way is that comfortable. The one person I can see wearing one of the more elegant period pieces are maybe women of older age.

They carry that air of elegance and class with them, while at the same time wanting to be decked out. Anju Modi heavier pieces are probably the best for that.

But then we look at the more simpler silhouettes, those are absolutely stunning. The lesser fabrics make the embroidery and designing stand out explicitly.

The more wearable pieces are absolutely stunning. Anju Modi likes to play with fabrics and patterns. Lighter layers with brocade and lace makes for some of the most elegant pieces. Choice of colors is always eye catching, sometimes the contrasts are a little too much, sometimes they are a little underwhelming. But when done right they are absolutely stunning.

Now one thing that is consistent through and through is the embroidery. It is so intricate and detailed, and there are copious amounts of if. It’s tiny tiny designs that come together to form a bigger picture. The bigger picture is always marvellous.

Everything being said, as a costume designer Anju Modi is an absolute genius. She had some of the most iconic and memorable designs on the movie Bajirao Mastani – they are still more memorable than the actual movie itself. Usually during period pieces we have heavy heavy pieces with not much appreciation for the fabric. But the opposite is true for Anju Modi. She embodies the word ‘princess’ and created these regal flows ensembles, with beautiful colors and patterns, without the excessive embroidery. We all remember them, and there’s a reason for that.

Anju Modi is innately talented. She has definitely created her own niche within the Indian fashion industry. Whether it works or not is not a question, she’s definitely made her mark – through both costume designing and for actual events. At times yes the two worlds collide, sometimes they work sometimes they done. One undeniable aspect is her penchant for creativity, it’s absolutely stunning.