Here comes the Bride
DAY 1
An elaborate theatrical set recreated the old world charm of the Varanasi ghats on the banks of the Ganges on the night of a full moon – the theme of the designers’ collection. The designer duo presented their bridal collection “Varanasi” which paid homage to the city. The palette too reflected the different moods and unique spirit of the city.
Signature Styles
The line was divided into five parts — Vrindavan, the ghats of Banaras, aisha, lotus, and pashu (animal). It began with pristine whites and moved on to colours like yellow, saffron, orange and vermilion.
Blingy lehengas, saris, wearable anarkalis and long dresses in silks and brocades with gold and silver thread work and carpet weaving that the city is renowned for were the highlights.
The Menswear collection included sheer kurtas, embellished ganjis, and long jackets which were paired with dhoti pants and transparent sneakers.
Show Stealer
Sonam Kapoor opened the show wearing a golden gown while lip-syncing and swaying to American singing sensation Lana Del Rey’s hit number ‘Will You Still Love Me’.
Sonam Kapoor took to the ramp again to close the show to the tune of Ellie Goulding’s “Love Me like You Do” from the “Fifty Shades of Grey” movie soundtrack playing in the background. The Bollywood style icon turned heads in a ruby red 10 kali net ghagra embroidered with gold metallic beads and Swarovski crystals, teamed with a blouse to match. The ensemble was highlighted with 3 dimensional metallic gold beads, stylised with a simple dupatta draped in layers and edged with a gold koran lace border.
“It was our intention to bring the majesty and magnificence of Varanasi and India to the viewers through our bridal couture. Sonam was the perfect showstopper for it – Abu
DAY 2
Varanasi By Abu Jani & Sandeep Khosla
The stage was set up like a mandap with floral decorations and the show started with a Kuchipudi dance performance. The designers showcased their “Dakshana” collection which was an amalgamation of a rich heritage influenced by south Indian drapes, classic indigenous fabrics and temple jewellery.
Signature Styles
Brightly coloured lehenga choli and saris encrusted with semi-precious jewels and patterns of temple jewellery. Beautiful intricate beadwork, sequins, thread work and appliquéd temple motifs and South Indian gold were used to add flavour. Fabrics used were silk, organza and French nets and brocades.
“This is our 25 year in the fashion business. Till date we have not seen anything done around this theme. So we thought of it. I think bridal wear is going back to tradition now. “So, we decided to experiment with traditional South Indian wear and mix it with contemporary style… our line was more than the Kanjeevaram’s.” – Leena
‘A French Rendezvous’ by Falguni and Shane Peacock
The stage was set with Old Hollywood glamour with Byzantium artworks framing the backdrop with the fusion of two cultures – France and India .The designers amalgamated French opulence with the ethnic roots of Indian art and drew inspiration from the ancient intricate embellishment techniques of India and fused it with the graceful silhouettes from western lands.
Signature Styles
Embroidered gowns in slim and voluminous forms, lehenga saris, and lehengas with antique-toned embroidered capes teamed up with biker jackets and sheer bodysuits in a colour palette of white, beige, pink, and gold to deep maroon and black.
Show Stealer
Athiya Shetty and Sooraj Pancholi closed the show as the Neo-goth bride and groom.
“It is very feminine and has been infused with fresh colours mixed with a lot of silver and gold. So it is a beautiful blend of pastels,” Falguni
‘Our Eclectic New World’ by Tarun Tahiliani
With the cosmic set of LED planets and rustically arranged LED lights, the stage was decorated with big glittery balls and the screens showed a galaxy of stars with blue lights. Tahiliani envisioned his new-age clientele and showcased almost 60 outfits all together, portraying modernity and passion.
Signature Styles
Panelled veils, jackets, corsets kurtas, saris, lehenga saris and lehengas cholis, dhotis and sherwanis. The colour palette consisted of gold, ivory, jade, cobalt, soft peach, red, blue and black. The highlights were the tone-on-tone thread work, heavy metallic zardozi, dabka, digital printing and most of all, engineered embroidery.
Show Stealer
Lisa Haydon stunned in a rustic, burnt out gold and cream lehenga and an off-shoulder choli.
“I want to make everything modern and light. My theme is always about draping, technology, lightness, sophistication and understatement,” he said, adding that he made his first sketch for this event in December.
DAY 3
Rina Dhaka
The designer showcased a very feminine and sensuous couture collection which saw the brides walk down the runway to the soundtrack from “The Godfather” playing in the background. There were 24 ensembles, for which Dhaka took three months to research.
Signature Style
Lehengas, saris, capes and sari gowns inspired by ferns and petals in hues of gold, peach, pink and red were embellished with lace, starburst, needlework, sequins and three-dimensional popping flowers.
Show Stealer
Akshara Haasan closed the show in a pretty light pink lehenga with pink embellishments and a choli with 3D flowers stitched on it.
“My inspiration for the line was innocence and freshness of the flowers in bloom.”
Jyotsna Tiwari – The Secret Garden collection
The stage was designed to look like a garden with artificial flowers adorning its borders and models walked the ramp to the sound of Sarah’s voice. Dreamy, poetic and romantic, the collection was inspired by flower power absolutely apt for the 21st century bride.
Signature Styles
Mermaid dresses and bridal lehengas, full length gowns, pre-draped saris, and cut-out dresses in hues of peach, pink, coral, gold and red were inspired by flower power. Grecian drapes, pastels, lycra and lace were the highlights.
Show Stealer
Sarah-Jane Dias walked the ramp in a red sari gown her 20-minute long performance to a medley of covers ranging from Rihanna’s ‘We Found Love’ and Beyoncé’s ‘Crazy In Love’ to Swedish House Mafia’s ‘Don’t You Worry Child’ at the show.
I like petite things. My embroidery is always like that. I don’t like it big. It has to be petite, pretty and for somebody, who is young. So there are tiny flowers, which are incorporated in the garments.
JJ VALAYA ‘The Bolshoi Bazaar’
The set was made of barren trees; snow and the audio visual of a snowstorm backed the models as they walked in a collection infusing together the two cultures of Russia and India.
Signature Styles
Saris, dresses, sherwanis, jackets and anarkalis in hues of antique, metallic and neutral tones to a dash of green, pink, blue and orange. The highlights were the digital printing, appliqué and Valaya’s signature embroidery. The male models wore the ‘Ushanka’ or the traditional Russian ear hat with their sherwanis. A mélange of Indian and Soviet cultures was visible in the saris with fur trimmed pochettes and embroidered jackets.
It’s an Indian collection with a kiss of Russia…clearly infusing two rich cultures and doing something together which speaks its own language, I always mix influences…the last time was Morocco in India, and the year before that was the Maharaja of Madrid. So, India remains constant, and every other part keeps moving.
DAY 4
Gauri & Nainika
Before the show started, a moving message flashed on the screen read: “For our loving brother Amol. You will inspire us and live in our hearts forever.” There were white roses placed on the seats of the guests and moving shots of trees, sky and flowers on the screen.The models strutted on the ramp wearing outfits with fine tailoring, sharp cuts and stark silhouettes, and floral textures and dazzling renditions of zebras and giraffes which paid tribute to nature in collaboration with American artist Travis Bruce Black. The collection also paid tribute to the tribe of Masai Mara through vivid renditions of tropical birds, zebras, giraffes and gazelles.
Signature Styles
Voluminous skirts, modern cuts, sexy bodices, sheer dresses and gowns. Sheer organza and tulle skirts stitched over short dresses lent the line a young and airy feel, while structured peplum tops teamed with pencil skirts and full-circle skirted dresses kept the vintage flair intact. The colour palette consisted of three all time favourites – black, white and red, be it combinations of black and white with a dash of red, or just solid colours. The highlights were the vintage ruffles varying in size and structure, the prints and appliqué work that included geometric watercolour prints done by the artist, along with 3D flowers placed on the shoulder and skirt of the dresses.
We wanted this collection to be feminine, fresh and based on nature. It was time consuming. Some of the dresses took us days to complete. The flowers are handmade. Even the pearls stitched on them were placed by us. – Nainika
Shantanu & Nikhil – The Mahal
The designers showcased their bridal collection which defined the young contemporary bride and groom drawing inspiration from the Mehrangarh Fort of Jodhpur.
Signature Styles
Lehenga skirts, pre-draped saris, layered anarkalis, cape blouses, fitted velvet dresses and overcoats with military detailing on the epaulettes and silhouettes inspired by the Mehrangarh Fort. The fabrics used were raw silk, organza and chiffon. There were contemporary traditional options ranging from draped kurtas to cropped jackets to shimmery bandhgalas and digital printed sherwanis for groom-to-be. The highlights included clean silhouettes and minimal detailing and the use of leather throughout the line. Dominated by the earthy tones of fort, the colour palette ranged from beige to chocolate, grey, royal blue, maroon and patina gold.
We’ve always been inspired by our love affair for travel, and I think we have discovered ourselves to be inspired truly by the architecture of the world that has a strong confluence of cultural history – Shantanu
DAY 5
Sulakshana Monga
Titled “Heritage Revival”, it was a modern-day tribute to the 1920’s handwork of Bareilly by reviving and reworking the designs of ancient Zardozi handwork. She was highly inspired by the region’s regal interiors and vintage craftsmanship, and translated it to contemporary silhouettes.
Signature Styles
Bridal lehengas, short jackets, fluid gowns and draped dupattas with heavy zardozi work in crimson, scarlet, marine green, marmalade and medallion gold. For the colour, she was influenced by the colour palettes of European paintings which she blended in an Indian way with fabric and many textures.
Zardozi is a very fiddly skill – getting embroidery on fabrics needs a good
eye and a steady hand. This work is done across the country and each city has a different style.
Suneet Varma -“Couture – A Love Story!”
The stage was transformed to match the opulence of the Topaki Palace in Istanbul, and actress Pernia Qureshi opened the show dressed in a deep blue Anarkali while swaying to the tunes of the track, ‘Hamein Bhi Pyar Karle’, from her new movie Jaanisaar. The collection was inspired by the arts and literature of Persia and Suneet tried to recreate the lives of Persian princesses—the stage, the dramatic show music even the headgear of the birds had a story behind it.
Signature Styles
The collection was divided into three segments: Arzu – “Desire”, Aziz – “Precious” and Ahibba – “Beloved” and consisted of tapered coats, tiered skirts, asymmetric tunics, studded bra cholis, and tasselled saris. Resham thread work, zardozi borders, and pearl embroidery were the highlights.The colour palette was Persian blue, soft pastels, pristine white, dull greys, pop shades of pink, red and crimson. The elaborate headgear (a signature of the designer) ranged from beaten gold headpieces to floating white ceramic birds.
Show Stealer
Pernia closed the show wearing a pink lehenga with badla embroidery.
As the collection started to develop I started to think of this dream—my vision is quite cinematic. For me it’s about the girl in waiting and the presumed lover on the other side, birds carrying messages, princesses walking around.
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