BOUTIQUE CHRONICLES - PRINCESS FACTORY

      

         A large part of the custom tailoring orders undertaken at Composium are for Princess Gowns.  These gowns are made mostly for girls between 7 to 10 years of age. I see passionate mothers who would go to any length to throw the perfect birthday party for their daughters; they would also scout for any length of fabric in their little girl's favourite color to give her the perfect gown. 

         So, the whole princess experience begins with the mothers bringing their girls to my boutique after school. It is so cute to see the little ones tag along their mothers like ducklings behind Mama duck - without a care in the world chatting away about their day at school. The mother will begin with her grand plans for the girl's birthday, this is precisely the point when these girls will look at my reaction for validation. I pamper them with the mandatory excited expression and say something like, " Oh wow! it's your birthday, that's awesome". From that moment on... the mother, the birthday girl and I work as one unit towards the ultimate Princess Gown. Mundane details like date of delivery, budget, basic style etc. is common for all, but in my observation, I can segregate these Princesses into three types.

Princess of Sparkles

Aditi, the first of our Princess of Sparkles to be followed by a long line

A large population of the princesses belong to this type. They all have the innate feminine urge to indulge in stimulating colours, glitters, and fluff. They watch me in wide eyed wonderment as I design the details of their dresses with coloured markers, they love it when I present them with a few designs to choose from. They will implicitly follow their mother's instructions at the time of taking their body measurements, lest there be a flaw in their gown. They scan the gowns hanging in the rack that are made for other girls and confirm with their mothers if theirs too would be as beautiful. On the day of delivery, I always insist that these girls try the gown on to ensure a good fit and make any alterations if required. No sooner than they put it on  can you witness their transformation from a duckling to a fairy. For the first few seconds they look at the mirror and are bedazzled by themselves, later they enjoy the fluffy layers of tulle in the gown and amuse themselves by endlessly twirling in their gowns. Their burst of excitement catches the attention of even the tailors from inside the workshop. The mothers have a tough time getting their girls out of the gown but I enjoy watching them twirl, that's the fruit of our labour - sweetest of all.

No Sweat Princess

Another Aditi, clearly No Sweat

A healthy population of princesses belong in this category. Very assertive of what they want. They do not wait for me to design something for them, they like to be left free to check out our sample gowns on display, choose a simple silhouette and give very clear instructions to customise it according to their taste. They want the main focus to be on them, the gown is just to accentuate their magnificent persona not to transform it. They choose from the pastel colour palette, minimal embellishments and fluid circular skirts instead of voluminous ones. They go for soft, lightweight breathable fabrics that don't poke and are comfortable to wear all day long. When they try the gown on, I am happy that fits their body and they are happy that it fits their personality. They decidedly go for the understated chic look and are not distracted by anything else.

 Princess of Upcycle-ia

Avigna, enjoying her upcycled gown

These princesses do not have any specific demands for a birthday gown. The mothers will usually bring their gently used but grand and heavily embellished old sarees to be repurposed into a gown for their daughters. This practice helps the mothers save money on the fabric without compromising on the grand outcome of the garment. Our mothers and grandmothers have been doing this for ages but what I enjoy about the whole thing is the reaction of these girls when they see the finished product. These simple unassuming girls walk into the boutique without much expectations, such visits are more like a chore than an enjoyable experience. They would rather play at home while their mothers pick a dress for them to wear. They are rigid at the time of taking measurements and can't wait to leave the boutique. But when they see an old saree converted into a pretty gown they are thrilled beyond words. They appreciate how the pallu/ head piece of the saree has become a grand bodice. They like how the body of the saree has become a flared skirt with border. The top border is converted into sleeves and a belt. Neither the colour, fabric nor the grandeur of the gown thrills them as much as the creativity involved in upcycling that saree. They throw me an appreciative glance with a measured smile before leaving and I understand that my team and I have done a good job.

Eco Princess

Eco princess Kaavya Rajavel twinning with her mother

  We at Composium make every effort within our capacity to reduce resource consumption at all levels, one such effort in the packaging front is that we collect and reuse carry bags of other establishments; whenever possible, we make carry bags out of our scrap fabrics for deliveries. There is one cute little princess who insists that her mother carry their own shopping bags when they come to take delivery of orders. She likes frocks more and will be a No Sweat Princess if she was to get a gown made but she has impressed me with her mindfulness about the environment and resources that I'd like to call her an Eco Princess. 

   At the end of the day, I'm glad to entertain all the lovely princesses; each special in their own way, exuding awesomeness wherever they go. Love you, your highnesses 😘