The designer gives SM Verghis a foretaste of her collection for Rajasthan Fashion Week, which features her romance with fusion bridal veils and incorporates a technique of metal embossing using real silver and gold
On May 12, Mandira Wirk will get ready to showcase a new line of bridal wear for the Rajasthan Fashion Week. She remarked, “It’s an extension of my collection last season called Veils Unveiled.”
That series had been inspired by the English Bride and featured a lot of gowns in pastel colours. “For the show in Jaipur however, though the silhouettes will remain the same, I will be using jewel tones. The styling continues as before.” Mandira shared. “There will be long and short veils, with the colour palettes ranging from silver to jewel tones.”
She added, “Furthermore, there will be laser cutting and mechanical pleating, along with interesting ruching. Basically what you will get to see are a lot of structured kurtis and layered anarkalis.”
The designer is known for her gowns, which continues to be her staple item. She told us, “The techniques that I have used this time include embossing, like the kind you normally see on paper. I’ve taken this effect forward to embroidery. So what we did was to crush metal and then we embroidered it with zardozi and zari work. But mostly zardozi. When you couple this with jewelled colours, the effect is very luxuriant.”
To heighten the effect of richness, she informed that they are “trying to use pure silver, and even a little gold. This is fused with the embroidery.” The process of designing the garments with actual gold carats involves, “crushing it, and then when it has a flat feel, we work it into the garment.”
Wirk went, “I wanted to give real jewellery on the garment, but not in a jarring way, because my clothes are not over-the-top. And this idea has been incorporated for both the short layered lehengas and other cuts. Which means that you can use them during a variety of occasions.”
As she reminded, “You will have noticed before that I’ve generally been creating pieces that have a lot of different functions. And the reason is that people are experimenting with different things. Be it their hairstyles. Or be it their make-up and even the jewellery. Hence one finds that one has to be a lot more flexible in terms of what one designs for customers.”
Incidentally she is working on a new couture collection as well. But that’s for another day. Meanwhile she told us that the reason she focused on jewels is because “India has a rich tradition in that department. And what’s more the stylised dupattas I use are also unique, because I have given the veil a modern look. So its a combination of both the western bride’s veil, as well as the dupatta.”
Coming to the end of the conversation she continued, “here is a huge demand for cocktail dress, and I have extended that idea as well.” Apart from this, she will also be working with celebrity stars and is involved with product design. More on that later.
After Rajasthan Fashion Week she will get ready for a show on May 14 at Bengaluru that is targetted at the IPl. “It will feature lots of after-party wardrobe outfits that cricketer wives could wear.”