Sabyasachi, Manish Malhotra and Raw Mango Dish Out Wedding Trends

For a rare occurrence like weddings, must we subject ourselves to the cyclicity of wedding fashion? Or give in to the dread of being a sartorial misfire? So last season!

How can one explain away the inherent heirloom quality of trousseaus – that are meant to be handed down generations – and thus must restrain themselves from the thrill of ephemeral fashions? Because rest assured, your granddaughter will judge you for placing your faith in velvet, that was in trend that one particular season!

But every piece of clothing carries with it a time stamp: a physical testimony of when it was created, the trends that were consulted while designing it, and the thoughts that were crowding the mind of the designer while designing that piece. And to honour the sum total of its design process, a good couture piece must be reflective of the current times, and at the same time, be crafted with time honoured traditions to ensure it always remains timeless.

We got some of India’s best sartorial minds to tell us their bets this Spring Summer season. They sure know a thing or two (actually, more) about clothes!

Manish Malhotra: Chikankari, Fringed Feathers and Flapper Style

Manish Malhotra insists on marrying the modern with rooted Indian tradition this season. And so, he bets on chikankari, and goes back to the 1920s flapper style for inspiration this season.

Watching the neo-brides and grooms embrace our cultural legacy imbibed with subtle modern sensibilities really makes me proud. I am happy to see that modern, artistic and bespoke fashion is rapidly emerging as the future of wedding trends in India.

Manish Malhotra

Placing his bets on one of India’s finest, most pristine embroideries, designer Manish Malhotra has introduced cigarette pants for women in chikankari, a visual metaphor for subdued glamour and swan like elegance for his Spring Summer 2017 collection.

Chikankari is taking forward the legacy of the elegant courts of the Awadh Nawabs well into the 21st century.

The feather symbolises softness, lightness and yet it has the power to tilt the scales of balance.

By placing these threaded hems on the trains of opulent skirts and glamorous blouses, Malhotra once again places elegance at the epicentre of wedding wear, although its lightness is a stark contrast and a weak competition to the heaviness of Indian couture.

The 1920s – an exciting era for women – saw them absorb the social and political changes of getting to vote, and exercising sexual freedom, while basking in their new-found financial independence. The 1920s were also the decade of Zelda Fitzgerald, a flapper diva and muse to F Scott Fitzgerald, who wore free-flowing dresses and tied headbands in her wild, curly hair.

While placing it in the context of Indian weddings, one can think shimmery-sequined dresses and paper-shred fringes on blouses. That sure brings some ease into the otherwise restricted visual vocabulary of wedding wear.

Sabyasachi: French Chiffon and European Flora and Fauna Print

French chiffon bearing glorious European flora and fauna print are Sabyasachi’s inspirations for his Spring Summer 2017 Udaipur collection.

As are brooding silks bordered with beaten gold.

AM: PM: Jackets and High Low Hems

Structured jackets are as contrasting as can get to billowing lehgengas, and yet, result in magic every time they come together.

Over the years, the jacket as a silhouette has acquired an aura of its own. To people around the world it reflects sophistication, a sense of quiet confidence, power. Worn over anarkalis, lehengas or trousers, jackets add an understated glamour to a classic silhouette. Perfect for the young Indian woman, subtle sophistication is the new Bridal Mantra. Jackets, long or short, are a comfortable yet versatile must-have this season.

Ankur and Priyanka Modi, AM:PM

About the high-low hem, the designers say:

Ditch the traditional hemlines and adorn asymmetrical silhouettes that are making it big with the neo-brides this season. A classic blend of modernity and convention, western cuts and hemlines imbibe a modern twist to Indian ethnicity and enhance the contemporary appeal of an outfit.

Ankur and Priyanka Modi, AM:PM

Raw Mango: Crop-Tops and Kurtas With High Slits

Brocades, as lovely as they look in the darkness of the night, can stand out even in day light without for a second being accused of gaudiness.

Says designer Sanjay Garg of Raw Mango, who manages to brocorate his brides anew every season.

Brides are increasingly looking to express their style during weddings, and wear silhouettes that they are comfortable in. For a few, that means incorporating button down shirts or shorter crop tops with brocade lehengas.

Sanjay Garg, Raw Mango

Garg also pitches his Nighat Kurta; a fitted kurta with high slits that’s worn with tapered slim trousers.

What trend are you going with this season?