Anokhi Fashion Lifestyle Entertaiment

He’s charming, witty, a man of the world, and when talking about the couture he designs, he’ll inevitably throw out the phrase “sensual elegance”. Having just returned from sourcing trips in Colombia, Naeem Khan doesn’t believe in the notion that inspiration demands seclusion. “I love people - I travel to not only to get inspirations for textiles and fabrications, but also to see how people interact with the beauty of life.”

Under his eponymous label, his summer 2007 runway collection consists of impeccably tailored cocktail suits, sophisticated gowns, evening separates and cashmeres. Naeem Khan gowns - often embellished with beads so delicate that a surgical needle is necessary to attach them – are recognizable from the original textiles and embroideries that he and his team create before each season. The details synonymous with the collection cause frenzy amongst such woman as Princess Aga Khan, Patricia Clarkson and Marcia Gay Harden; all preferring Naeem Khan gowns for black tie events. You may recognize his signature styles in the epic film Dreamgirls, for which he was asked to design for leading lady Beyonce.

Khan was born and raised in India and cultivated his knowledge of textiles growing up under the watchful eyes of his grandfather and father, both well known in India for a fashion legacy of designing stunning silhouettes that were graced by royal families and other wealthy notables. In 1976, Khan met the iconic Halston, and welcomed the opportunity to apprentice under him. “It was a great opportunity to marry two styles of fashion - his designs were elegant and clean - and my experiences in India and fashion were the opposite,” he says. “There you have a medley of colours and textures that worked with everything. He was my mentor, and I learned a great deal about the insides of a fashion business, relationships with clients and retailers and how to work with people of all experiences.”

After a three-year stint in New York, Khan debuted his designs on Rodeo Drive under the Riazee label. For 14 years, cult celebrities were privy to luxury separates and cocktail dresses. Yet, even Khan knew a formal design house in his name would be the culmination of his success. Today, his three-year-old namesake label, exclusive to retailers such as Bergdorf Goodman, Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus, has brilliantly delivered a universal vision, loudly and clearly. CNN says, “His designs have Indian elements, but are decidedly understated and contemporary.”

Travels abroad clearly inspire Khan to create. The summer 2007 collection boasts wispy shades of creams and beiges with elegantly refined textures that even have a post-modern touch with the use of metal over sheer voile cottons. Undoubtedly, Khan has an innate ability to design a dress for every occasion: “There’s a sterling silver little dress that is my favourite because it is so simple. You look and feel like you are wearing a t-shirt, but it’s pure luxury. The idea was how can you take popular cotton and make it look chic and exciting.”

With Khan, classicism implies a particular order and balance. Everything is proportional, but Khan’s intellectual sophistication adds another dimension. Surprisingly, the collection was actually inspired by a magically romantic scene he envisioned while reading the novel, The Twentieth Wife. Set in the Mughal age of unequivocal regal love, Khan fondly shares how a particular account of two lovers meeting under a full moon, surrounded by a sea of ephemeral roses, reminded him of the purity of passion. “I loved the idea of roses and wanted to bring the romanticism of a simple love to my designs,” he says.

Khan is equally impressed by artisans of the West as he is of the East. He is an avid collector of Andy Warhol and Jitish Kallat. Perhaps his early indoctrination into a jet set life of fashion in India keeps him grounded in both worlds. In addition to being a fashion designer, a philanthropist, a father and husband, an avid chef and entertainer, and traveler, Khan is involved with every aspect of his business, from textiles and manufacturing to final finishings on $12,000 gowns.

In New York, alongside finalizing his 2008 dossier of luxe couture, Khan is already musing about his next step. While he has begun considering a menswear line to suit the likes of regally refined men such as George Clooney, he insists he needs to perfect the art of designing pour femme. He says, “I will have a men’s collection within the next five years, but it needs to be done at the right time.” Fashion insiders are already looking forward to his two sides of sense and sensuality.

WORDS NAVDEEP MUNDI