New Delhi, Sep 7 - The lithe profile of model Shyamolie Verma spreads across the frame like a tree of life encased within the folds of a cream cotton voile cape, embellished with green tussar leaves in applique.

The 1994 creation 'Tree of Life', by veteran designer Suneet Varma has been shot by ace fashion photographer Prabudha Dasgupta and printed in a life-size frame by Thomson Press (India) on special paper.

The print uses four-colour glitter technology. As a result, the applique work on Shyamolie's dress stands out of the surface of the photograph, like a mass of glittering green leaves.

Welcome to a four-day exhibition of fashion print art 'Eye of the Beholder', where Suneet Varma's classic fashion meets photographic art by India's best fashion lensmen and state-of-the-art printing technology with stylised ultra-violet, glitter, crystal and laser cut finishes.

The exhibition of 34 photographic prints which opened at the Emporio Mall in the capital Saturday is a tribute to Suneet Varma's designs spanning over two decades.

It is being presented by Thomson Press and the fashion magazine Harper's Bazaar.

'When you do a retrospective like this with ensembles designed over the last 22 years, the feelings are mixed. At times, I am happy and at times I am sad. There are things I feel I should not have done. You can call this show a tale of my time,' Varma told IANS.

'Printing technology is charting a new course,' Varma said. The prints belong to the designer's personal archive.

'I have been photographing, cataloguing, documenting and making notes on all my creations for the last 22 years to chronicle my journey of fashion. There is a book in me which will come out sometime,' Varma said.

The designer is a graduate of the London School of Fashion and a former instructor at National Institute of Fashion Technology.

The prints cover almost every new fashion line created by Varma. The Tantrik Art series, a collection of attires inspired by the beaches of Goa and its free-wheeling life, features former super models Milind Soman and Ujjala Raut.