The millennial Indian bride is all about mixing time-honoured traditions with her modern sensibility. Silhouettes have undergone a transformation, colour palettes are changing, and fusion-wear is quickly becoming a preference for most brides-to-be. FDCI’s India Couture Week 2017 was a clear testament to this evolution of the bride and her trousseau. In case you missed the frenzy, Aashni + Co recaps some favourites, straight from the F-Row.
Anamika Khanna decided to forgo a runway show in favour of an installation, with her collection, ‘Happily Ever After’ that covered ensembles for different Indian wedding functions. Through the use of zardozi, old kinaris, dori work, Parsi gara, burnished gold and silver work, beadwork, gota-patti, and plumes, Khanna’s outfits have been created for each pre-wedding function as well as the main pheras.
With a colour palette that not only covers romantic pastels and classic reds, but also includes unconventional hues of black and ivory, the collection is the stuff of every modern Indian bride’s dreams. Shop Anamika Khanna here.
Anita Dongre’s ‘Tree of Love’ paid homage to the Bishnoi community’s spiritual reverence for nature. Each piece was an echo of her signature style, replete with intricate thread work, gota patti, aari, zardozi, and a hint of sequins.
The line ranged from shades of black, navy, emerald green, powder green, and light blue to muted tones of orange, scarlet, crimson, and red. With hand-embroidered tea length dresses walking the runway alongside rich gota patti lehengas, this collection truly catered to the contemporary bride’s need for fusion wear and beyond. Shop Anita Dongre here.
Inspired by the beautiful miniature paintings of the Kishangarh School of Art, Anju Modi’s ‘Sunehri Kothi’ took us back to the opulence of 16th century Rajasthan. Zardozi work made an appearance here. The highlight of Modi’s collection was its vibrant colour palette.
Every ensemble was the perfect amalgamation of two or more tints — think pink, peach, yellow, indigo, burgundy, ivory, duck egg blue, purple, and sea green.
Each shade presented a fresh take on the ethnicity and traditions of Rajasthan, signifying the strong culture associated with the vibrant state. Shop Anju Modi here.
Gaurav Gupta showed his flair for drama and glamour yet again through his love for drapes and layering. The collection had an other-worldly quality about it, with draped sarees, structured gowns, tailored jackets, and layered lehengas crafted in delicate chiffons, tulles, lace, nets, and crepes.
Called ‘Moondust’, the colour palette too was rather celestial, boasting of hues of dove grey, stone blue, ivy blue, pearl blue, fern green, ivy green, and night teal. Gupta added his signature touch with the use of glass beads, mother-of-pearl embellishments, and intricate handcrafted embroideries to achieve the effect of 3D surface ornamentation he is so popular for. Shop Gaurav Gupta here.
MONISHA JAISING
The queen of glam, Monisha Jaising showcased an assortment of lean and voluminous silhouettes in glitzy metallic shades. Lehenga-saris, sculpted gowns, and cocktail dresses sashayed down the runway.
Jaising’s use of Benarasi brocade in a modern manner added a hint of eclectic ethnic flavour to the line. Her graceful maxi gowns, with floral prints and shades of powder blue and tinted green made quite the statement. The real highlight though was Shilpa Shetty, who stole the show in a red Benarasi gown.
SHYAMAL & BHUMIKA
Shyamal and Bhumika are known for their ode to quintessential traditional designs, but this time, the designer-duo decided to shake things up. Fitted gowns, flowing capes and off-shoulder blouses traipsed down the runway, showing a clear shift towards more contemporary and youthful silhouettes in a colour palette of gold, ruby red, emerald green, coral blue, and crimson.
The creations showcased included dreamy gowns, sheer capes, kalidaar jackets, and heavy lehengas were adorned in sequin work, 3D florals, aari work, zardozi, glass pipe detailing, beadwork, and dabka.
ROHIT BAL
Ace couturier Rohit Bal’s royal collection ‘Shaahaan-E-Khaas’ was an ode toMughals costume collections that have been immortalised in museums. The designer opened with the hue he is often associated with — ivory.
Where there’s Rohit Bal, there has to be zardozi; and pieces were densely woven into gold and silver threads along with nature-inspired motifs like the lotus and peacock. His signature cape-style jacket made an appearance too, adorned in intricate Kashmiri embroidery.
Varun Bahl borrowed from the Art Nouveau works of Alphonse Mucha and stayed loyal to his signature florals. A vintage mindset and modern execution came together through his use of overlapping surface ornamentation, intricate needlework, and bold prints on soft textiles like chiffon, silk, satins, tulle, and georgette.
His assortment of lehengas, jacket anarkalis, sarees, and other tailored pieces heavily relied on asymmetrical lines and flora and fauna motifs. The designer chose to keep the colour palette soft, with shades of ivory, pale pink, peach, burnt orange, pistachio, allowing the embroidery and prints to do all the talking. Shop Varun Bahl here.
Got a favourite collection? Tell us in the comment box below.
All images from FDCI’s Facebook page
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