Osman Yousefzada is one of those London designers who collects celebrity clients like stamps: Amber Heard, Emily Watson, Selena Gomez, and Beyoncé all wear his clothes on the red carpet and in everyday life, and he has proven he can design for a wide range of shapes, sizes, and ages. Still, when the show notes for Osman s Spring outing said the collection would be a bit of East meets West, a bit of the Raj, veterans in the crowd went into brace position: After all, how many times has a designer promised to take people on a magic carpet ride to Rajasthan, visiting some festooned and fragrant royal court? As it turned out, Osman s collection featured impressive clothes that avoided the heady, pungent, embellished looks that designers often churn out when their thoughts turn to India.
The first outfit was a skirt laid over a trouser, teamed with a tank top with the minutest of gold embroidery details; it was followed by a kimono-sleeve white trouser look. Then came splendid prints and color combos: "a tree of life" in the hues of a Serengeti sunset mixed surprisingly with a sharp duck-egg blue skirt. There were some intricate lace details in white that were reminiscent of the latticework of doors found in Rajasthan castles, and some trousers with a fan-pleated, cummerbund-esque waist, but the use of the references was subtle and discreet.
In addition to the prints, there were interesting fabrics and textures: a beaded clutch, a denim trouser that masqueraded as silk, a sturdy sweatshirt combined with a lattice silk lace skirt. Design details were also strong: a bandeau, a cutaway at the waist, a tie detail at the back of a blouse. Toward the end of the show, a model came down the runway with a bright tangerine sash diagonal to her body—like, say, a pageant queen. Did Osman know that, the previous night, the first woman of Indian heritage had won Miss America? "No," he said. "But it s bloody well about time."
