Dolling up for wedding season
Fashion
By Suneeta Bahl

DESIGNERS are working overtime for the wedding season in India. And it is not just bridal wear they are concerned about, they are also creating newer styles and looks for all those who need to grace the big occasion.

So it is more of a celebration of expensive silks and chiffon, of exquisite mirror-work and zardozi embroidery, apart from gold ornaments and glittering gems that the fashion circles are witnessing at this time of the year. After all, an Indian wedding is always a grand spectacle.

Nothing can be more representative of prevailing mood than the song and dance designers are making over the traditional saree. From elaborate shararas and ghararas, they have suddenly shifted their attention to the urbanised drape in all its indigenous glory.

The weave, texture, yarn and colours are all being resurrected, be it the Maheshwari or Chanderi sarees of Madhya Pradesh, the Benarasis or Jamdanis of Bengal, the Patolas or Paithanis of Maharashtra or the Sambalpuris and Vichitrapuris of Orissa.

All these are saree traditions rooted to the Indian culture. And just as it has become fashionable to go back in time in every other walk of life, the high priests of fashion are making the most of a forgotten heritage in designing wedding trousseaus.

Accordingly pre-stitched and zip-up sarees do not find a place in wedding wear. One saree that continues to be a hot favourite with the bride and guests is the South Indian Kanjeevaram. Its popularity cuts across caste community and regional lines.

Another distinctive trend is the emergence of the odhni as an important accessory to the wedding saree. Traditionally worn as a kind of muffler or scarf with salwar-kameezes, it is now being draped over both shoulders as a shawl, often substituting for the aanchal.

Designers like Shaina N.C. Point out that the double odhni is most graceful when worn with the saree. The saree could be Chanderi and the odhni in jacquard crepe attached to its pleats. Another version: a six-metre odhni worn over one shoulder to create a cowl at the back by bringing over the other shoulders.

Hemant Trivedi offers yet another option by using the odhni as an "Eastern extension of the scarf" by draping it on the neck and letting it flow behind. On an off-beat note, Wendell Rodricks suggests turning it into a circular ring over one shoulder or extending the pallu of the saree to form one.

With the odhni assuming such importance, almost all designers are venting their creativity on its expanse and embellishing it with zari, zardosi, resham, tili, sequins and beads. The more adventurous go for hand-paint or block-print. In fact, when it comes to bridal wear, the odhni often weighs more than the garment.

Style guru Tarun Tahiliani has a wonderful trousseau collection this year with transparent, heavily embroidered sarees, combined with blouses and petticoats in satin, the focus being on comfort and elegance. The cut and the work (including pearl embroidery) on blouses is exquisite.

There are also designers like Ritu Beri and J.J. Valaya who are repeating lehenga-cholis with minor changes. One innovation is the bajuband dupatta which can be draped over the shoulders for a regal look and feel. The lehenga, dupatta and choli are intricately embroidered.

These designer trousseaus are known for the mix of fabrics like brocades, jacquard, silk and velvet. The colours range from neutral and beige for the wedding to black for the cocktail evening, eliminating the expected reds and yellows.

As for the groom, Valaya recommends designs that are "individual-based and personality friendly" which can be worn on or before the wedding day. Go for the matt finish, be subtle, yet luxurious in the use of embroidery, he advises. — (MF)