Your best friend is getting married and while you are excited for her you can’t wrap your head around the fact that it means having to wear a silk sari or a heavy lehenga to the do. With the mercury flirting with the 40s wearing anything other than light cottons is almost unthinkable. But city designers say that dressing up need not be such a torturous experience after all. With the focus shifting from heavy silks and embellishments even in bridal wear this wedding season, there are a whole lot of breathable and comfortable fabrics and colour palettes to play with.
Keeping with the summer colour palette, maroons, plums and burgundies can be relegated to the back of your wardrobe and you can embrace pleasant pastels and pop colours to brighten up your look. So load up on the blues, sea greens, turquoises and yellows while the bride can choose from peaches, pinks and oranges. “People normally opt for pastel shades during summers, but I’ve done a line using candy pop colours just to brighten things up,” says designer Anushree Reddy.
The best part about using this colour palette is that it looks great on the Indian skin and can also easily be teamed with gold and silver colours for contrast.
The focus in fabrics has shifted from heavy silks and tussars to breezy and flowy organzas and chiffons. “We’re completely avoiding heavier stuff like raw silks. This season it is all about doing a colour play with pop colours and a few elements of embellishments without them being overpowering. For instance a light kota sari with a two-inch kadi border looks great without weighing one down,” explains Anushree.
The fashion brigade is also being partial towards natural fabrics. “From kotas to cottons, mangalagiris, chanderis and silk mixes, there is a wide variety of natural fabrics to choose from. A kota for instance looks very grand and yet be light enough to carry off in summer. Kota can range from as little as Rs. 900 to Rs. 30,000. Also with the spotlight on natural fabrics designers are encouraging the use of locally available crafts and weaves. Nets have been overdone and the cheaper variety doesn’t look that great either,” says designer Shilpa Reddy, adding that if one is using net then the finer four-way stretch net which feels very light, airy and breezy is better.
When it comes to styles the saris, dupattas and lehengas have shed the bulk to go lighter and the spotlight instead is on the blouse. “The blouse is the focal point this season. Most brides and even wedding guests are opting to wear light weight saris and lehengas with heavily embroidered blouses. Since the blouse does not weigh you down it is the perfect look for a summer wedding,” explains Shilpa.
Designers say that with the focus shifting to the blouse people are willing to experiment. From collars, to longer lengths, elbow cuts, three-fourth sleeves, peplum cuts to really deep necklines, brides and wedding guests alike are going all out to dress up that choli. “Heavy blouses also look great in photographs. No wonder people want to concentrate on that one element of clothing this season. Crop tops are also really in and people are teaming them with palazzos and mulmul lehengas for an off-beat look. Fusion anarkalis and slight western influenced embellishments are also doing very well this season,” adds Anushree.
Know your blouse
Hourglass figures: For people with those perfectly symmetrical figures, shorter blouses to show off curves work very well. A corset style blouse or one with a deep neck and longer sleeves will show off that toned figure to the hilt.
Petite frames: Sleeveless or noodle-strapped blouses with wide backs look great.
Athletic bodies: These people can work those high-backed and collared blouses very well. The detailing in this case could be on the neck.
Pear-shaped figures: Go for short-sleeved cholis with looped backs to take attention away from problem areas. You could also opt for wider necklines for a more slender top area look.
