Wedding Wows on the Ramp!

Wedding Wows are in vogue! Bridal couture has always been big business in India and more so at this time when leading international and home-bred fashion designers and icons are rediscovering India in their own way. A lovely lehenga for the wedding, scintillating sari for the sangeet, a sarong-style drape for the hen’s night out, etc. can create a ramp rage as the fairer sex prepares for the dream trousseau.

Fused with tradition is modernity and there is an ardent quest for sophistication, classiness and elegance. If you are a bride in India, chances are you wore/will wear a lehenga-choli or sari designed by a Tarun Tahiliani, Ritu Kumar, Manish Malhotra and their ilk on your big day. India’s top couturiers display their wedding collection with pride and have special collections  for dulhans.

So brace yourself for dazzling drapes, where the sari can be worn like a sarong or a cocktail gown… saris with capes and belts and Anarkalis with detachable collars, cuffs and belts are the eye-catchers from their catalogue. Anarkali kurtis or achkan-style kurtas and kurtis, cotton suits, lehngas and sherwanis, prince coats and Jodhpur pants and dhotis are some of the other style picks. Accessorising it right, they say, is like choosing the correct topping for your cake. So, for jewel jazz, there is kundan, polki, and diamond wedding jewellery. Also, try filigree and wire-plate work, and the designs inspired by vintage motifs, on lightweight gold and diamond neckpieces, earrings, rings and bangles.

Watch out for those secretive fashion couturiers who offer a very personalized approach to design, flawless creations that are one of a kind, beautifully crafted and neatly finished. Check out a grand, opulent and luxurious lehenga or sherwani with Swarovski crystals a plenty, then just the fine, intricate woven embroideries. Dream of the prettiness of the sari drapes and sari gowns that never fail to take you by surprise, most of the pieces exude class and tantalize with its exclusivity. See the use of colourful rose motifs, ribbon work and other signature embroidery nuances stand the test of time and continue to lure. Sticking to a safe colour palate usually consisting of peaches, reds, yellow and gold, watch a designer recreate fabulously pretty lehengas and sarees that every bride would grab to wear, in at least one of her wedding occasions. So much for Indian ones…

There is no one name that leads the pack, it’s a pie everyone wants a piece of…

Manish Arora

This season Manish Arora is all set to take you on a magical journey with garments which will transform you into an era of elegance and glamor. ‘Indian” by Manish Arora - a Bridal Collection, has never seen before embroideries coupled with classic silhouettes in enchanting colours.

The core of this collection is dominated by embroideries that are an amalgamation between the contemporary and traditional artwork inspired by Manish’s trademark style. The embroideries are perfectly complimented by the colors this festive season that range from deep purples and midnight blues to rustic beiges and regal reds.

The silhouettes are specially chosen for the festive winter season with full sleeves kurta churidaars, cocktail sarees, elaborate applique work lehengas, feminine anarkalis, classic band galas and tunics to name a few.He also introduces, for the first time ever, limited Fusion collection in Jersey Knits inspired by the Turkish prints and embroideries this season to add an extra edge to your festive Indian wardrobe, getting you all set for the bridal season.

The choice of fabric ranges from luxurious Silks, Crepes, and raw silks to complimentary georgette and chiffon.

Payal Singhal

Payal is known for her avante garde style that brings together Indian sensiblities with a global silhouette, in a cutting edge style that is funky and yet feminine.

Inspired by the ancient world of Indian costume and the futuristic world of stage fashion...the feminine sensual world of old India courtesans contrasting with modern cutting edge of pop culture fashion. The world of Umrao Jaan with Lady Gaga seductive flowing translucent anarkalis and lehega’s juxtaposed with structured edgy silhouettes in tulles, brocades and new age fabrics in metallic’s, pale blues, creams and blush rose ensconced in mukaish, filigree, resham and zardosi...All in Payals signature style.

When the music stops and time is blurred….in my dreams it’s one or the other…or both - PAYAL SINGHAL

Krishna Mehta

presents  a timeless collection of magical and alluring ensembles, romantically synchronised, with simple elegance, for a season where colors bloom and put rhythm into the silhouettes, rising from her creative impulses, inventing fineries and decors.

Setting the tone for a dynamic yet traditional feel, the fine muslins, luminous chiffons and georgettes in the rich reds, royal pinks, the burnt oranges, and sunset yellows to the softer ivory  and beiges meet in geometric studied compositions with beads, crystals, sequins and the woven gota embroidery giving the collection a joyful and colorful twist to simple sculpted lines and evocative, chic silhouettes, an essential, calm and determined feminity.

Krishna Mehta, for whom life has been an enchantress, filled with the magnificence of the unseen that you see and the vague that you understand.

"My collection is simple, sophisticated and really spontaneous. I really wanted to bring these elements back into fashion with prints of ethnic origins and beautiful combinations through the dreamy angarakhas and sarees paired with jackets and lehengas.” says Krishna. "Beauty has to be seductive and stylish, restful and gently natural, separating the mind from the world of quantity and measurement" adds Krishna Mehta.

Manav Gangwani

“Timeless Affaire” is inspired by ManavGangwani’s interpretation of a rendezvous between dreams and reality transcending space and time. The designer has explored a fifth dimension solely entrenched in the realms of fantasy where desire merges with superstition to makes dreams come alive.

In this collection Manav has delved into the myriad complexities of human emotions and has created a vision of splendor, which is truly overwhelming. It empowers with unparalleled grandiose and accentuates the indisputable strength and beauty that is an intrinsic part of a woman.

The colours, fabrics, embroideries all lend a heady mix of light & shadow dazzling with SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS to make the collection truly timeless.

Exquisite embroidery, delicate and detailed workmanship, SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS are used imaginatively and lavishly in this collection, adding glamour. Moving away from his signature style, Manav has artfully added Gota work treated in a completely unusual manner.

Gold dust georgette, Italian chiffon, French lame, sequined fabric, shimmer net…intricately patterned brocade, silk velvet, French lace, duchess satin make this collection exceptionally distinctive!!!!
Delicate Ivory is the color of pure love, merging into yellow the brightest color to the human eye, representing happiness and sunshine, which in turn merges into orange, the color of fire, a symbol of untamed energy. Manav has combined these colors in gradual gradation from light to dark, creating an illusion of an emerging dawn…a new day.

Volume and movement, inspired by spontaneity create silhouettes of effortless elegance, warrior woman like exaggerated collar detail and armour like structures, sheer voluminous skirts with layering, flowing, sensuous gowns,  flared lehengas, novel anarkalis and suits and of course Manav’s staple glamorous saree are juxtaposed together to make an eye catching array of designs.

Keeping in Tandem’ with the Theme the décor of the ramp is reflective of the connection between Time, Space & the Zodiac. The Chosen colors, of course, are those of the Sun, which is beautifully integrated into the backdrop, thereby making alive a Vision of Timelessness.

Tarun Tahiliani

The Tarun Tahiliani Bridal Couture Exposition is a unique concept designed as a novel way to showcase Indian Bridal Couture and Luxury in the finest of setting in each city. This year, expanding the reach of the event beyond Delhi & Mumbai, the TTBCE was also held in Hyderabad & Kolkata taking the number of cities upto four. The event proposes to exhibit in additional cities across India in the coming years.

Talking about the Exposition, Tarun Tahiliani said, “This exposition is a confluence of two great artisanal traditions in a unique fashion. European designers have always used Indian workmanship and now we will see a new fusion of Indian Couture using international construction with the finest weaves, embroideries, jewels, stones and techniques”