New Delhi, July 29 - Mirrors are making a statement in high-end Indian pret clothes this Raksha Bandhan, thanks to young Hyderabad-based designer Anand Kabra whose fall/winter collection was unveiled in the capital.

Kabra's mirror line, 'And the Mirror Crack'd' was showcased at the Crescent in the Qutab Monday. It was part of his Lakme India Fashion Week's ready-to-wear collection this year.

'Over the past decade, we have been adding shine and glamour to formal clothes with crystal, beads, semi-precious stones and zardosi. I understand the importance of glamour in clothes, but this year I tried to think out of the box and decided to use mirror for the festival bling,' Kabra told IANS.

Mirror or 'shisha' - Persian for glass - was first brought to India by the Muslims in the 13th century. It flourished in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana and Delhi. Earlier, manually-blown mica glass was used for embroidery, but it has now been replaced by mass-produced machine-made shisha.

The collection, Kabra said, was inspired by 'personal space'. 'Last year (2008) was traumatic. There was security threat coupled with financial insecurity - it forced me to grow up. All the illusions I had about high fashion and boom were shattered. My collection reflected my mood and the market meltdown,' Kabra said.

The clothes pack in power - mostly traditional churidar kurtas in silks, georgettes and synthetic fibres with densely embroidered long jackets with mirror work and long sleeves with mirror trimmings, mirror saris teamed with embroidered bustiers and cholis, kurtis, western-style tops, black cocktail lehengas with heavy mirror embellishments and western style evening dresses with mirror highlights.