Dec 02: The quotable quote comes from whizkid Sabyasachi Mukherjee: “For what’s hopefully a once-in-a-lifetime occasion, what else but a return to tradition?” Two distinct camps have emerged, then, this bridal season. The first asks for a return to the days when a wedding ceremony was the high point of a woman’s life, and she had to be dressed as such, opulent and in keeping with the family’s heritage.

Like Jodhpur-based Ragha-vendra Rathore says, “We felt we wanted to steer clear of the mix and match look, which although a good thing for the market, is not for us. You can’t go pret on bridal.” His line, then, is “a more classic, high end museum look.”
Brides buying into this philosophy, then, are seeking reds, maroons, mangentas, pinks, mithai tones, golds and beiges. The styling is regal, the embroideries are antique and bejewelled. The emphasis here is on keeping the garments looking timeless, treating them as classics that can be handed down from one generation to the next – and indeed, can be worn by future brides in the family. Avers Mukherjee, “A bridal garment has to be like a piece of jewellery, it has to be eternal.”

This camp is more in contemporary mood: clean lines, sleek silhouettes that reflect current fashion trends and lifestyle statements.

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Skirts are trumpet- or fishtail-shaped, then, in keeping with the current funky look, cholis are spare and decorative, silhouettes are lean, and the colours are largely bright tones, some pinks, some turquoises, some military greens as part of the trousseaux. The embroideries, too, while sparser and subtler, are rooted in contemporary trends: stylised flowers, geometric, and oriental motifs are not uncommon.
In keeping with the bride that knows her mind, then, is the bride with attitude. The outré brides are now seeking better cuts and finer fits that show off gym-happy figures and keep everyone’s attention firmly focussed all through the ceremonies.

“Fashion in India is going through a tweaking in terms of basic look and styling – people are willing to experiment, there’s a whole new sexiness at play that’s evolved over the past few years,” says J J Valaya.

Adds eveningwear designer Azeem Khan, “Brides are getting adventurous and want to be brides of the world – not just local. They’re not willing to just wear the traditional and conventional stuff anymore.”

Like Delhi designer Vishal Mehra’s bride, who puts it all on show in a bikini bra with her fully-embroidered lehenga.
And of course, there are the odd chaps that steer way away from the herd, like Satya Paul’s Puneet Nanda, who’s putting out polka-themed garments. “It’s upto designers to stretch the limits. That’s why people come to us in the first place – otherwise, they can go to the guys in Karol Bagh and Linking Road, who probably make more money in bridal wear than most of the designers put together.” We agree: if her wedding day is the only day that a woman truly owns, why then must she look like anyone else?