With Indian weddings touching new heights of flamboyance and extravaganza, the fashion angle naturally assumes importance. Fashion experts, connoisseurs, designers now seem to have as much say as marriage brokers and elderly aunts. Just before the wedding season takes off every year, designers and entrepreneurs gear up with bridal collections, wedding exhibitions — that have sprung up in the last decade — and ever newer ways to add glitz to the match made in heaven.
This year, CTC mall launched its bridal collection keeping the desires of the bride and her man in mind. The collection is an amalgam of hues, glitters and ravishing styles combined with tradition. It boasts fine embroidery styles like zardozi, nakashi, beads, sequin, and Swarovski crystals.
The 11th edition of Bridal Asia, the largest wedding extravaganza scheduled from September 19 to 21, has been giving a brief glimpses of what’s in store for the buyers. Bridal Asia along with various designers like Abha Dalmia, Payal Gupta and Reynu Taandon put together a special wedding collection making use of the traditional weave. While Abha’s collection was based on the Independence theme with muted shades of greens, maroons, pinks and greys with rich floral designs, Reynu’s collection was an extravagant affair with gota work and sequins. To complement these collections, Payal ornaments the ladies in her wedding collection.
Innovations in lehengas
Designers Kapil and Monika Arora, known for their strikingly feminine and glamorous ethnic, bridal and Indo-Western ensembles, showcased their latest lines of saris, Anarkali salwar suits with Benarsi crepe borders, lehengas, layered gowns and even contemporary shararas, a traditional garment, which they say is poised to make a comeback this wedding season. Designer Ratna Jain has designed lightweight lehengas keeping in mind the long hours the bride has to wear the garment. Her collection included ‘ten-kali’ lehengas in metallic silks, richly woven brocades and Chanderi.
