FASHION 
Brights for bridal wear
Saloni Kaul

IT is that time of the year when fashion designers in India are working overtime to get their wedding collections together. This is a busy season that would extend into January and effectively determine style trends in ceremonial and festive wear next year.

Strangely though, last year’s wedding styles are nowhere to be seen this time around. Designers who made a song and dance of silver and turquoise have suddenly switched to deeper and richer palettes in red, orange, yellow and fuchsia. Clearly, bright is the way to go.

Fashion watcher Tridib Roy describes this as a return to old-world charm: "The inclination to go traditional is reflected not only in colour, but also in dressing and jewellery. Believe it or not, menswear is similarly headed in terms of patterns and silhouettes."

Designer Krishna Mehta seconds the opinion: "It is back to the ornate look. Old embroidery techniques like pitta (gold thread work beaten with a hammer for a flattish look) are being revived and fabrics are borrowing from the bygone days — brocades, tissues, kotas..."

While sarees and lehnga-cholis dominate this year’s wedding collections, there is also a revival of heavily embroidered angarkhas, long coats with rounded collars and costumes inspired from the Mughal courts. The look is, however, leaner and fitted.

"Silhouettes have become tapered and more sensuous than ever," Mehta points out. "So while sarees and lehngas are in demand, cholis are giving the sensuous look. Don’t forget, these too are drawing upon the past. Cholis in the olden times were very sensuous."

Small wonder, brides-to-be are approaching designers with their mothers’ and grandmothers’ trousseaus for "inspired copies", if not exact imitations. "There is a dignity and grandeur in yesteryear styles, which present-day designers cannot replicate," explains Roy.

Designers like Preeti Chopra attribute this to the non-availability of certain fabrics, which were ideal for wedding wear. "We don’t get that kind of workmanship these days," she says. "The last few decades have seen the demise of a number of weaving and embroidery traditions. The artisans are no longer there."

However, what is lacking in texture and feel, is more than made up with the right colours and cuts to capture the spirit of the past. Neeta Lulla, for instance, is restricting her wedding saree range to "typical auspicious colours" like rani pink, saffron and green.

"The saree is back with a vengeance, but styled with extra dupattas," observes Lulla. "In fact, this year sarees are being requested even for receptions, which was never the case earlier. Nothing can quite match the elegance and classical appeal of sarees for such an important occasion."

Mahika Mirpuri, however, differs: "A lot of wedding designs this season are drawing upon old sharara lines in colours ranging from reds to fuchsia. The sharara silhouette has actually turned very big and in all probability, will last for a couple of years."

Then there are designers like Lina Tipnis who are playing safe with "traditional brights like orange and fuchsia" for their range of lehnga-cholis, sarees and the many deconstructed versions of the good, old salwar-kameez. For them, the accent is on putting up an ornate look with embroidery and embellishments.

This emphasis is visible in menswear as well. As Mehta puts it: "Though long kurtas have staged a comeback, there’s embroidery all over. However, it is subdued in tone — self-coloured, with a hint of zardozi. And in departure from the beiges and blacks, wedding wear for men is about burnt rust, cobalt blue and deep reds. The look is metrosexual, yet traditional."

Furthermore, male ornaments have become hot numbers this season for the many grooms-to-be. They are no longer restricted to gold chains, armlets and finger rings, but extend to hand-crafted pocket watches with fancy chains, gold kadas, buttons and pens.

In contrast, women’s jewellery has turned rather subdued with old-fashioned kundan work recreating the antique look. "Brides are coming in with ornate jadau and kundan sets to which they want embroidery motifs in their sarees matched," informs saree specialist, Shaina NC.

Apart from gold embroidery, bridal wear is being embellished with an array of sequins, bugle beads and crystals. This also embellished footwear, drawstring batuas and other accessories to match complete the look. It is traditional once again, but with new interpretations. (MF)

This feature was published on December 20, 2003