Brass Tacks exhibition @ Sarwaa, Trivandrum

TechnoparkToday.com(March, 2014): Brass Tacks showcases their latest collection at Sarwaa (Trivandrum), March 1^st – 2^nd, 2014

About Brass Tacks

Brass Tacks is a brand of clothing that offers wearable style for women. The pieces are cosmopolitan and stylish, with a certain timeless appeal that gives it a life beyond the current moment. Brass Tacks gets its name from the expression, getting down to brass tacks, which means getting down to the basics. In keeping with that ethos, the line is free of embellishments and instead all the emphasis is on the foundation of the garment: the fabric, the cut, and the tailoring quality.

A lot of study and research goes into the fabrics and silhouettes at Brass Tacks. Mill-made and hand-woven fabrics of the top most quality are used and all fabrics are washed before tailoring to guarantee customers zero shrinkage. An appreciation for tailoring details is seen in hidden plackets, hand-stitched pin-tucks and pleats, and contrast linings. Perhaps the most noteworthy of all their research efforts is their standard size chart: a measurement chart based on fittings with women of various sizes in the age bracket 28 to 42. 

The Collection theme: Simple silhouettes, complex textile crafts

Brass Tacks is a women’s fashion label that translates natural and hand-crafted textiles into fashion-forward silhouettes. This collection, they’ve decided to stick to simpler silhouettes, but explore a variety of textile crafts in depth.

For example, there is the Shirt Tunic, made from handwoven cotton with shibori stitch lines all over the fabric. The silhouette is shapely, but simple, which allows the complexity of the textile craft behind the fabric to stand out.

Fitted stretch pants, made out of a fabric that has the structure of denim but the breathable quality of khadi, have Ajrakh prints on them. The prints are modern and easy to pair with a variety of pants, but the simplicity of the silhouette draws your attention to the work that goes into the patterns on these textiles. Look out for their signature pants, Printed Definition.

Discharge prints on knit are converted into draped dresses, such as the Dolman Knit Dress. These pieces are easy to wear, easy to care for, and always flattering.

The pièce de résistance of this collection is the Twisted Wrap Dress. This is the sole piece in the entire collection that does have a complex silhouette with a detailed textile to match. Crepe silk is crush-dyed, and then discharge printed to form a beautiful spread of tiny pink and blue speckles on a bed of burgundy. This fabric is then draped and tucked to create a dress that is shapely, and yet not tight. What’s really marvelous about this dress is how it takes the shape of the wearer, adds on more shape, but doesn’t need to be worn tight. The magic is in the drape of the fabric.

About the designer, Anaka Narayanan

Anaka does not have any formal training in textile or fashion design. Brass Tacks was launched as a result of Anaka’s own longing for well-cut clothes made from natural and handwoven fabrics. Unable to locate anything that matched the images she had in her mind, she set out to start her own company.

Anaka’s aesthetic sense is heavily influenced by her mother’s large collection of hand-woven sarees. Design is an instinctive process for Anaka; her style ideas usually evolve from fabrics or craft-making techniques, although more recently she has been moving towards draped styles that are born from playing with the fabric and wrapping it around a dress form.

Anaka studied Economics in the United States and worked at a consulting firm for two years before moving back to Chennai at the end of 2006 to start Brass Tacks.

Exhibition Information

Venue: Sarwaa
SRL A-47, Sankar Road,
Sasthamangalam,
Trivandrum 695501
Phone:  +91 47130 22220 | +91 95622 96229

Dates: March 1^st– 2nd, 2014 | 10:30am to 8pm

www.brasstacksmadras.com