Some collections are curated beyond the space of spectacle and presentation. Early to the Party is constructed on the basis of anticipation, the secrecy of those silent moments prior to the filling of a room, when there is a hesitation in dialogue and an inability to acknowledge feelings. In the second chapter of the creative story of Absent Findings, Creative Director Shivin Singh focuses on those transitions in between, the moments when it is not the performance that counts as much as the posture, the proximity, and the presence do.

The core of the line is a further contemplation of the sari, which Singh believes is the most pure expression of the dress. Not as dress or custom, but as philosophy. The rational of the sari, the clothes that covers, shifts, and reacts, but does not bind, is turned into a construct of rethinking modern style of dress-making. In Early to the Party, this fluidity is rendered with a high level of tailoring and creative construction that creates long silhouettes that are poised and unobtrusive.

Where Structure Meets Softness

The counterbalance is provided through architecture. Based on the influence of Le Corbusier Palmase Palace of Assembly in Chandigarh, the collection brings some hard-core precision into the softness of the collection. Similar to the building itself, these clothes are based on proportion, repetition and clarity of shape as opposed to ornament. Tailoring in this case does not limit movement but frames it.

Surface and color reflect surrealism to the eyes, having been informed by Il Ritornante of Giorgio de Chirico. The palette is dominated by muted tones, which result in the atmosphere of being suspended in time. Pleats add rhythm and layers to it, and dimensional details indicate spaces existing between real and remembered. Nothing feels overt. Instead, the collection is based on suggestion, a visual language that suggests interpretation as opposed to explaining.

However, Yet Early to the Party is not about form only. The Party is an album by Andy Shauf that creates its emotional foundation as a silent exploration of human contact and inner dialogue. The impact of this influence is the narrative structure of the collection: the appearance of archetypal characters, the Observers, Dreamers, Confidants, and others, that fills social spaces and rules them without domination. These are the characters that shape the lookbook pace and tone, and capture the undertones of tension, unspoken intimacy, and softness that characterizes moments of togetherness.

Beyond a seasonal development, Early to the Party seems an excavation of sorts, reflecting a cautious searching in the obsessions that constitute Absent Findings. The sari is still used as an anchor to the concept, architecture brings in discipline, surrealism creates room to be emotional, tailoring becomes a language and not a method. Early to the Party implies that there are occasions when it is best to be there early, so you can have a better view of what is going on before noise is installed, before positions decided, before attendance becomes performative.