TAJ MAHAL - the most iconic Fashion Tribute by Pravin Talan - a decade later

Ten years to the most iconic fashion tribute to Taj Mahal ever. And why it will remain the best ever.

To start with, it was a non-commercial venture and for the first time in the history of fashion, Pravin Talan unified the most acclaimed Indian designers to come up with exotic creations that were inspired by Taj Mahal ! 

 A theme never explored before - With Love from Taj !

 What do these world class designers have to say about Taj Mahal

"A confluence of love, art and craftsmanship, the ivory monument has been my inspiration for a long time, subtly visible to a keen eye for couture."
-Rohit Bal

"For me the Taj Mahal is an epitome of love and luxury-The two main ingredients that drive any design house towards perfection."
-Sabyasachi Mukherjee

  "What fascinates me is the intricacy of the inlay work inside the Taj, I think its one of the finest in the world."
-Tarun Tahiliani

"A constant reminder of the beauty, talent and expertise that we have to offer. A declaration of love. How can one not be inspired by the Taj?"
-Anand Kabra

"The cutwork, the mosaic patterning, the symmetry, and the sheer magnitude are to be revered."
-Anamika Khanna

 

Intro to the shoot

Pravin Talan, with his technical brilliance and fine aesthetics, using a wide array of lenses, unusual compositions and intelligent lighting, did an iconic fashion shoot resulting in a short film, Coffee Table Book and exclusive calendar- presenting Taj Mahal to the world as never seen before.

The fashion tribute featured inspired creations by some of India’s most acclaimed designers like Rohit Bal, Tarun Tahiliani, Sabyasachi Mukherjee, Falguni & Shane Peacock, Anamika Khanna and Anand Kabra. It has without doubt the most talked about fashion shoot of the decade and has found coverage in some of the best publications around the globe.

Taj Mahal is about emotions, architecture, design, art and inspirations. Its symmetry, fine visual balance, architectural brilliance, its various hues and moods, have been beautifully captured and artistically painted across the fourteen pages calendar and exclusive limited-edition coffee table book.

Throughout the shoot a fine visual balance between the models, designers’ creations and the Taj Mahal are maintained, so that the impact of none is lost.

Each image looks different from the other and presents aspects of Taj Mahal never before explored. A woman draped in Anand Kabra saree, staring at reflection of Taj Mahal at the central tank, to another one wearing a Anamika Khanna outfit, casually walking by the famous intricate Jali work on façade of white marble platform. Each image represents a different dimension of Taj Mahal and a different mood of the woman.

 

 

Expert Speak  

Pravin Talan

The biggest challenge in shooting ‘with love from Taj’ project was how to photograph the world’s most photographed monument in a way that was never seen before. Almost a hundred thousand tourists visit Taj Mahal every day and take pictures using either a professional camera or their cell phones.

It was one of my most researched and well-planned shoots. I checked almost every available image of Taj on internet and also thoroughly studied the tourist inflow and then find empty spaces, explore unseen views of Taj and properly understand the available lighting at the monument, and then conceive shots that would be a fitting tribute to this living-breathing monument and present Taj Mahal in a new way and most importantly establish the relationship between designer’s exotic outfits, beautiful models and the monument itself.

The biggest challenge was I could use only the available light and being a huge structure and all white marble, how was I to get the correct exposure on the designer outfits as well as the monument.

I must have made as many as ten visits to Taj Mahal to eventually figure out fifteen shots that could have been done without disturbing or getting disturbed by the tourists at the monument. Each shot that looked different from the other and presented aspects of Taj Mahal never before explored.

U.P. Tourism and ASI officials were very helpful with their guidance throughout, though I must confess, the more I got to understand the significant details of Taj Mahal, the more it made me anxious to deliver- after all, it was the first time it was permitted to shoot right at the monument and nothing could have been left to chance.