With barely-there cholis,three-dimensional embroideries and unusual colours,the brides this season are getting sassierThis is not the season for the demure bride,says designer Raakesh Agarvwal. In the gorgeous bridal trousseau line that he has created,barely-there cholis jostle for attention while gossamer chiffons peek out seductively from behind the heavily embellished lehengas. Most of the girls who are coming to me for their trousseau have clear ideas. They want a look that is glamorous and very red-carpet. Apart from the actual wedding day,they are not averse to a bit of skin show for the sangeet,cocktails and the bachelorette party, he says. So the saris in his collection have gown-like drapes,while the cholis look almost like corsets,with distinctive boning. Each piece though comes covered in exquisite embroidery,often using metal components,in flamboyant colours besides the mandatory reds and oranges. On display at the Aza store at the Crescent Mall in Delhi,as part of an ongoing wedding exhibition there,the collection is priced between Rs 19,900 and Rs 8 lakh.Agarvwal is not the only one espousing the cause of the bold bride. Most designers working on trousseau-wear say this season,bridal wear is more about being sassy. In designer Reynu Tandons collection,Wedlock,for instance,the traditional lehenga cholis have been given a tweak,with the fitted cholis barely 13 inches in length,the back bare,but for the strings putting it together. To offset this rather risque upperwear which Tandon calls the Kamasutra choli,the designer has paired it with kalidar lehengas (with lots of gathers,hence more volume),some of them with as many as 36 kalis. Each lehenga has extensive gota work on georgettes and silk. The look is more dramatic than it has been in recent times. The embellishments are more intricate and the cuts more contemporary, she says,as she readies for a showcase at the upcoming Bridal Asia exhibition in Delhi next month. Theres,of course,a reason for this heightened opulence. Some good things have also come out of the economic crisis. Now we have to be more innovative to justify the price points. I have introduced several in-between price margins to help various levels of buyers. In terms of design,I have added layers of embroidery. I used multiple techniques and brought in Indian references, says designer Gaurav Gupta. His trousseau-wear,replete with three-dimensional embroideries and architectural organza flowers,is priced between Rs 30,000 and Rs 5 lakh and is on sale at Ogaan stores in Delhi and Mumbai. Designers Parvesh Kumar Sharma and Jai Prakash Singh of the label Parvesh and Jai too have concentrated on embellishments,drawing inspiration from Rasleela and Krishna motifs in general. While the base colours of the clothes are reds,greens,beiges and golds,the embroideries are a riot of colours,in magentas and shocking yellows mapping out flowers and peacock feathers to minute details. If greater surface ornamentation is a byword for bridalwear this season,the other thing that is gaining popularity is off-beat colours like aubergines,turquoises and emeralds. Satya Paul,for instance,has come up with lehengas and saris that have French lace,zardosi,resham work and chikankari besides the hot favourite of the season:beaten metal embellishments. But what makes the collection,priced between Rs 70,000 and Rs 5 lakh,stand out are the unusual colours. We wanted to use colours that are vibrant and can be artfully blended with the reds and the rusts, says their designer Puneet Nanda. Take your pick.
