From a bridal trousseau to a baby shower bash, birthday present to an anniversary gift.the new trend is to pack it ‘pretty’ wellIt's time to tell you that glossy plastic sheets or even paper ones with red hearts and teddy bears simply will not do. The next time you are looking to gift wrap, don’t head to the neighbourhood departmental store. Instead, call in the experts, ones who can jazz up the most mundane of gifts. “A beautifully packed present adds value to it and also speaks for the effort gone into personalizing the same,” tells Panchkula’s Neha Mahajan who under her label ‘Celejore’ dishes out elegant packings for occasions such as weddings, engagements, theme parties and the like. “The latest are baby showers for which we do customised packings for the baby’s presents,” explains Neha as we eye pretty baskets in pink for the girls and powder blue for the boys. Complete with lace and pretty tassles, it makes a statement. “Today, coordinated looks are in, special when it comes to trousseau and wedding shagun,” tells Mahajan who lists out options like saree covers with matching suit length wraps all elegantly styled. Interestingly, when it comes to packing a bride’s trousseau, it’s no longer a plastic-cover-embellished-with-gota affair. And last year’s tissue trimming is now passe. “This season’s high point is brocade,” lists out Shvetta Goyal who has been specialising in trousseau packings for a while now. With the wedding season in full flow now, Goyal’s has her hands full, specially dressing up steely trunks! “Remember the traditional shaadi ki peti our grandmothers brought home after their wedding, well, the trend is back again,” says Goyal who jazzes them up in contemporary way. The trunks get a cushioned exterior which is then further embellished with pretty laces and sequins. “It’s a fluffy look that’s in,” adds Goyal.“Also the last couple of years have seen board bases and tissue covers. That’s made way for cane baskets and trays. For example, when it comes to engagement trays and shagun thalis, I prefer to use ceramic cone work,” explains Mahajan. Weddings apart, even for anniversaries and birthdays, the present gets a makeover. “House warming occasions are one time when people gift an expensive wine bottle or take a delicious cake. It’s quite dowdy to take a bakery box or a plastic bag,” points out Savita Sood who recently brought in her designer packing label ‘Touch of Class’ to town in an exhibition. Sood’s styled cane wine boxes and dressy cake boxes that can hold your gift. “It adds a classy touch and also speaks for the one who is gifting,” says Sood who suggests wrapping up small gifts in potlis for a designer touch. And if you are wondering whether the gift wrap will be steeper than the gift, then here’s the good news. The packings come for as little as Rs 60 for a natty wrap!
