ODESSA CHARMING - In the heart of Odessa Charming, an elegantly designed Indian district, can be found Zaara Indian Couture, main shopping outlet of the talented fashion designer Zaara Kohime, who has been working hard to create a stunning line of Indian influenced designs.

I dropped by the store to see her latest line, Freespirit, and speak with Zaara about her work, asking her what first sparked her interested in fashion design in SL; "I started designing almost immediately after joining SL, mainly because buying clothes wasn't an option for a newbie.  Being an art director for a real life firm in a related field, it seemed like a good place to experiment."

The Freespirit range is a Black and gold brocade, available in red, blue and gold, with beautifully detailed motifs, prim skirt and a prim ribbon tie-up on a low cut back.  This is the latest in a new line of more Westernised designs, which sit alongside her traditional Indian outfits, and look set to be very popular; "The Westerns have been a recent addition so I can't comment on how well they'll sell yet, but traditional Indian clothing does pretty well for me."

Asking about her influences, she told me "In RL it's a mix of lot of things, movies, fashion designers and photographers.  I am from India, and as a country itself it can be rather inspiring", this is something that shows through in her work, as many of the outfits would look at home on Bollywood starlets and fashion catwalks. "I love what I see on Indian streets.  I tend to use a lot of Indian motifs and fabrics in my work.  I try to keep the influence subtle."

Other designs by Zaara include the Soul Curry outfit, a versatile outfit which can be worn with a skirt, shorts or capri pants, featuring intricate prim shoulders and cuffs, and layered in such a way that it can be mixed and matched with other outfits.

Also ready for the summer are a series of tops, which include the Indian Summer tank top, with bold colours and fine detailing, available three distinct colours which can be bought individually or as a fat pack.  There is also the Bandhni Halter, which is a very lightweight top in 3 similarly strong tie-dye colours. 

All of these tops are available on  undershirt, shirt and jacket layers, allowing them to be mixed with other outfits.  Completing the set is Moksh, featuring a silk top and a corset silver-zari belt, available in ash pink, teal and yellow.

There is also a men's outfit that has been released, the Jodhpuri, and Zaara has hinted that there may be more men's clothing to come in the future.

Though Zaara admits that the store and design work does take up most of her time in SL, she does still like to get out and socialize