Anand Kabra on Taramati II and reimagining Hyderabadi fashion for today

Designer Anand Kabra is returning to Collage, Chennai, with Taramati II, a new collection that revisits the story of Taramati, the legendary singer and dancer associated with the Qutb Shahi era.

The Hyderabad-based designer first explored this connection in his older collection Taramati in 2013, but this time the collection returns to the same historical figure through a different lens, exploring her longing, distance, and the emotional world she inhabited.

Anand says that Taramati II is not just a revival of the past. “It’s a new way of telling the same story.” This time the designer found himself imagining the woman behind the legend, and her emotions.

The new collection brings together Hyderabadi silhouettes like the khada dupatta, farshi pyjama, peshwa, and gharara, alongside elements of men’s ceremonial dress reinterpreted for womenswear. Dakhani embroidery becomes prominent throughout the collection that draws from the arches and windows of Taramati Baradari, a historic pavilion in Hyderabad associated with the singer and dancer. The colour palette of the collection moves through motiya (pearls), kumkum (vermilion), kachchi mehndi (fresh henna), haldi (turmeric), kathai (brown) and surma (kohl).

Re-interpreting menswear

Elements of the straight kurta, the structure of a jacket, and the historical jama (long coat) have been adapted into this collection for women
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SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

It is a story that many have heard, growing up in Hyderabad. Taramati is said to have sung and danced at Taramati Baradari , while the ruler of Golconda listened from Golconda fort. “It is either a story which is true, or it is a legend. But I chose to believe in the love story, ” Anand says. It is this imagined relationship that became central to his interpretation while designing the collection. 

The collection’s historical silhouettes, however, were designed with the modern woman in mind. “For me, it’s just about relevance. There is nothing wrong with these garments. But they were very relevant to those times and those lifestyles.” Today, he says, women work and multitask. “She needs to be dressed in five minutes.” His intention, therefore, was to retain the essence of the old world textiles while making the garments “very easy to wear and flattering”. 

Talking about the cross-pollination of interpreting menswear for women, Anand says, “Men’s clothing was always very practical, and this is what we have brought into this collection.” Elements of the straight kurta, the structure of a jacket, and the historical jama (long coat) have been adapted into this collection for women. “Like in older times, we dont have four women helping you dress up anymore. For instance, blouses would have those back hooks and would need someone to help you with that… hence it needs to be rethought and revisited, and we need to make it conducive to today’s style,” says Anand.  

Archival pieces

Anand has also retained some archival pieces from the earlier collection
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SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

The colours, meanwhile, are tied to Anand’s imagination of Taramati. Motiya, the jasmine flower, signifies “purity and simplicity” and innocence, while surma, the traditional kajal, evokes darkness, frustration, sadness, and longing that he imagines he left. Kumkum represents the desire to dress up and be seen by the person one loves.  

While the collection is entirely new, Anand has also retained some archival pieces from the earlier collection, especially some of them worn by actor Aditi Rao Hydari. “After her wedding, Aditi was very interested in the archival look and wanted to wear almost everything from the original collection. That’s when I realised some of these pieces needed absolutely no changes and are still relevant today,” he says. 

His 15-year-old relationship with Collage is similarly built on longevity. “Relationships matter a lot, and people who have invested in me matter a lot,” he says. Lata Madhu, founder, Collage, echoes the same thought. “It was the story of Taramati, and the storytelling that went behind the collection, that intrigued us enough to showcase it.”

The collection will be on at Collage, Thousand Lights, on Septmber 25 and 25, from 11.30am to 7pm.  

Published – September 24, 2026 05:50 pm IST