The trend of minimalistic approach has taken over the bridal season this year. By Ankita Jain
In their shiny clothes and stilettos, they walked their way to a haven of soothing music and glitzy lights. Such was the picturesque at the Runway Bridal preview hosted by Ramola Bachchan, where models walked the ramp showcasing the work of 60 leading bridal designers and five jewelers. A palette with colours like beige, blue, peach and bottle green ruled the preview draped in textiles like georgette, brocade and chanderi bases.
It was a bridal exposition for all bridal finery and jewellery. A platform where celebrated designers including Rohit Bal, Anju Modi, Ashima leena, JJ Valaya, Manish Arora, Ashish Soni, Siddartha Tytler along with prominent jewelers like Sunar Jewels house, Alpana Gujral, Renu Oberoi for Mahesh Notandas amongst many others previewed their collections. The exhibition been held on the 3rd and 4th of September at The Ashok Hotel saw a good number of footfalls.
The exhibition was a one stop platform for the wedding season being around the corner, providing the perfect culmination of wedding invitations, bridal trousseau, jewellery, wedding gifts, decor and more. Moreover, it had more to cater to the brides than the grooms. Gaurav Chhabra, Tushi & Vaibhav were among the few displaying grooms' collection varying from embroidered sherwani to fitted pants and waist coat.
Mayyur Girotra
The high end designer, who believes in minimalistic approach, showcased his bridal collection enveloped in a no-bling tag. His designs catered to the people who enjoys being sophisticated and elegant without carrying any glitter on their body. It seemed like he has revived the 100 year old technique of embroidery which is kora work, burnt zari and tilla. lots of classics, old weave, banarsi and mix and match were seen in his collections. Moreover it was much of old world charm. Talking about his connection with the modern bride-to-be, Mayyur said, "These days brides want to go back in the history through her D-day attire. The 70s textiles like Kanjivaram, banarsi and ikkat have come back."
Ashima leena
The experiment with shimmery sea blue lehenga was seen on the ramp by this eponymous label which is synonymous with impeccable styles, elegant designs and different silhouettes which are adorned by women across the globe. The experiment in rich fabrics, lots of layered sheers, heavy dupattas were the key features of the design. "Nature and antique jewellery has been my constant inspiration for all my collections. I also work to give a fresh look to the brides who now search for different colours to be worn except the usual red and white", said the creative partner of this brand, leena Singh. The collection spoke more of Mughal era and represented the transformation of the look of yesteryears maharanis with the modern touch.
Gautam Gupta
Gupta's bridal taste was all about the handloom endeavour with embroideries and less of bling. The more of Rajasthani inspired gotta work, Rajputana borders, vintage embroideries in textiles like silk, matka, tassar, ghicha, cotton and linen, gained a lot of appraisal. "When I develop a piece, I try to put the bride's thoughts together and give it a simple yet stylish feel. My muse is vintage look with a touch of elegance. My collection is all about Indian aesthetics with simple silhouettes and not leaning towards west. Vibrant colours with nude shades like beige and grey is trending", said Gautam. He further added, "I also keep in mind the reuse of my designs. The lehengas and sarees should not be a piece of art in the wardrobe after it has been worn once. This is the reason, we have come up with mix and match lehengas where the bluster can be used again with the saree and the dupata with the anarkalis."
Pooja Juneja
labeled as 'Oxygen- Part of You', the jewellery designer presented her piece of art which comprised of exquisitely designed and intricately carved earrings, rings, neckpieces and bangles. One of the designs displayed was a piece inspired by a peacock, studded in baguette, round diamonds, emeralds and sapphires, set in gold. The piece which was a blend of traditional India and modernity charmed the audiences present. "My designs are lively and connect to the modern women, very easy to carry and full of energy. I always suggest selecting the jewellery first and then going for the attires as jewellery is timeless and can be worn on several occasions", shared the designer.