Bling Up,Bling Down

To be young,rich and to fall in love on foreign lands or more befittingly,on the beach — if Monisha Jaising’s collection,“Happily Ever After”,was anything close to the cliched idea of love and destination weddings,we would’ve been prepared. The designer’s “bride” was either in a shocking red Banarasi floor-sweeping gown,a “Star Trek” peplum mini dress,or in a “Prince” sherwani flung over a bejewelled flower-laden romper. So much for a beach wedding.

For her collection,Jaising used wool crepe,mul,satin,brocade and lingerie lace,with an abundance of zardosi,sequins and block prints. Her clothes were dipped in bold hues such as navy blue,red,gold,fluorescent tones and green among others. We warmed up to a few,especially those involving black Louis XV jackets,used as a gown or teamed with leather pants.

However,her trademark bejewelled,embroidered and printed elements on kurtis,gown leggings,saris and dresses resulted in the collection oscillating between being garish and utterly understated.

Despite that,in the end,when a model playfully stormed on the ramp in a white bathrobe,on its back was boldly encrusted “Maharani”; we couldn’t help but smile at the fun of it all,forgetting all the other real brides Jaising had purported for the show.