Wedding Wows

There were times when all it did to put together a trousseau were a few shopping sprees coupled with the stuff your magnanimous mother had collected over the years.

There were times when all it did to put together a trousseau were a few shopping sprees coupled with the stuff your magnanimous mother had collected over the years. Well, those times are over and done with. For now, the bride and her family sit with the trousseau specialists working out the look not just for the D-day but for the better part of the bride8217;s first year! You know there8217;s a serious market for wedding wear when the fashion industry rolls out a one-of-a-kind Couture Week. Closer home, designers in the city are working in overdrive specially with the wedding season ready to roll out. So we got down to work too by compiling a what, where and how of all your trousseau needs. Read on:

COLOUR ME WILD: It8217;s one of those years when it8217;s unfair to say one colour rules the roost. 8220;It8217;s a wild palette with colours such as topaz yellow, tiffany blue, emerald green, fuchsia, pearl white, charcoal black and even amethyst making individual statements,8221; lists of Bridal Asia8217;s CEO Divya Gurwara. Agrees city-based designer Poonam who specialises in trousseau wear through her label Amara, available in Sector 8. 8220;This year contrasts are much in vogue. Expect colours like green and red, magenta and brown to do the rounds,8221; adds Poonam who plays with rich colours for winters. Speaking of colour tones, designer Babi Grewal puts 8220;hot pink8221; as the new black. 8220;It8217;s really the colour to flaunt. Specially in silks,8221; she asserts.

THE YARD LENGTH: Ok, now that the colours are in order, how to go about draping them? 8220;I would put brocade right on top,8221; mentioned international designer Varun Bahl who was in the city recently. Bahl finds that the Indian bridal fashion has come a full circle. 8220;Yes, fabrics like net and silk are back in demand,8221; agrees city based designer Sonika Khanna whose collection for Autumn-Winter 2008 brings in her trademark lace sarees with embroidered petticoats as well as pre-stitched sarees with exhaustive work on the pleats. Working with fabrics like crepe, silk, georgettes, lace, velvet, Sonika incorporates a lot of the jewelled look. 8220;Embellishments are in but in a subtle way,8221; feels Poonam while Babi finds gota and gold antique work a must-sport this season. 8220;If you want to keep away from one thing, then it8217;s the colour silver,8221; she smiles to say.

THE ENSEMBLE: Having an insider8217;s view, thanks to her annual show, Divya Gurwara finds tapered lehengas, which look more like skirts, are now structured. 8220;They are figure enhancing and put a bride at ease. At the same time blouses like corsets and backless cholis, puff sleeves, experimental necklines are in,8221; adds Gurwara. If you have been dying to sport an Anarkali, the good news is that it8217;s still in fashion. 8220;In varying styles though,8221; points out Grewal who finds the shirts longer with a straighter fit. When it comes to the D-day ensemble, the lehenga is still your best best. 8220;But we now have double dupattas,8221; mentions Poonam who sticks to lighter fabrics such as net to cover the bride8217;s head while going with the heavier one as a shoulder drape. The choli, they tell us, is shorter and snug with exposed backs. 8220;For the more conservative, I would recommend longer jackets with lehengas. Traditional with a contemporary twist,8221; Bahl sums it up for us.