Instrumental Vogue: A Stylish Pause for the Planet
B.Sc. in Fashion and Apparel Design
Sheryl Miriam Fernandes’ Instrumental Vogue is a powerful Spring-Summer women’s collection that transforms partywear into an environmental space for contemplation. Drawing on the haunting beauty of extinct Indian birds, the collection uses fashion to ask a critical question: What if we don’t save what’s irreplaceable?
In the epicentre of the times, Instrumental Vogue stands the theme Pause—a call to pause, reflect on consumption, and acknowledge the price of nature paid by our actions. Once prized for their feathers and pushed to extinction by the destruction of their habitats, Indian birds such as the pink-headed duck or the Himalayan quail now exist only in memory. Sheryl returns flair and elegance in stylised blueprints and interchangeable designs that honour their beauty without the expense of sustainability. Detachments—capes-out-of-skirts and multi-fashion dresses—make clothes transform, using maximally and minimising wastage. The “Instrumental Vogue” collection equates the migratory route of birds with party wear that can be detached. This reduces fashion wastage, is eco-friendly, and compels us to “pause” and reflect on the long-term implications of our actions. The design is an epitome of the inspired birds, providing flexibility but not wastage.
The color palette—black, yellow, white, and pale blue—is an echo of the plumage of the birds that the line was named after. Cotton, organza, butter crepe, and terrycot balance comfort with a subtle sheen, and faux feathers bring textual reference to the muse of the collection without ruining the environment.
Instrumental Vogue is a self-aware fashion. Instrumental Vogue invites nightlife and fashion lovers to fashion their conscience and make an evening out an expression of concern and sensitivity. With Sheryl’s sensitive approach to fashion and loving narrative, her collection shows that fashion can be as compelling as it is indelible.