Bridal Fashion Trends

this season

By:
Jayesh Purohit
 Bridal fashion trends this season
By: Jayesh Purohit

The Indian wedding has undergone sweeping changes and, therefore, wedding dresses have also
witnessed a sea change. Gone are the days when brides used to shop for their trousseau from a local shop
in a single visit. Now, it’s a different story. Brides, and even grooms, are choosy, and the collection of local
shops finds it hard to please them.

The selection of bridal wear eats up a hell of a lot of time, as the bridal ensemble would play an important
part on that crucial day. This is the reason brides today turn to designer wear and fashion designers are in
great demand when the wedding season is in full swing.

There is no doubt that a wedding demands a lot of preparation and, hence, many expenses. While your
groom and your wedding planner are leaving no stone unturned to make the D-day memorable, you are also
topsy-turvy as to what you should wear on the big day.

But, your worries end here. Some of the famous fashion designers are here to tell you about your bridal
dressing, what is hot and not in Indian wedding dressing. Moreover, the biggest myth about bridal dressing
is about to be shattered.

Colors and Trends

Forget what your friends wore in the last season. This year, everything is
new – from colors to trends. However, it’s a back-to-basics culture.
Brides are just crazy for traditional colors. US-based fashion designer
and founder of SilkThreads, Ruby Bhandari, says, “I think that brides are
finally going back to the traditional colors of reds, rusts, and maroons in
the winters and pinks, creams, and golds in the hotter weather. For a
little while, brides were trying to be ’high fashion’ and chose colors like
purples, blues, and greens, but now, I think that new brides are
beginning to realize that the more traditional colors are what make them
look and feel like a queen (which they are on their wedding day).”

“The colors to watch out for this season are metallics like antique gold,
platinum, pewter, champagne, bronze, and copper, “says Anita Dongre,
a Mumbai-based fashion designer. This is a very neutral color palette
and suits all skin colors. Bright colors are also very much in fashion, like
raspberry, aubergine, crimson, tangerine, and brighter pastels like
aquamarine, salmon, mint, and butter yellow. A hot trend to follow is
ombre shading for saris, skirts, and dupattas for a more stylish look.

Your Monsoon Medley

With the arrival of monsoon, tension builds up for brides about what to wear. It’s always difficult to make a
perfect choice when showers swamp India. Dongre says, “The most popular bridal wear for young brides are
usually lehengas, heavily embellished kurta sets and saris. For cocktail wear, one can opt for corsets
teamed with fitted skirts and stoles jazzed up with swarovskis and sequins. For traditional rituals, a classic
style is more suited to the occasion.”
Grooms also join the designer wear bandwagon

Designer wear is not only for girls. Grooms are no less fashionable than
girls, as they also get their dresses designed. Ruby adds that SilkThreads
works with a lot of grooms. She observes, “They are much savvier about
their outfits for their weddings than a few years ago - the ethnic look has
been in for a while - typically Sherwanis, with matching embroidery as the
bride, matching embroidered shoes, or open jackets with embroidered
vests. They are becoming more adventurous as far as colors are
concerned, experimenting with splashes of orange, turquoise, magenta,
etc.”

“Among Indian grooms, the favorites are bandhgalas, sherwanis, textured

kurtas, and unlined jackets for semi-formal looks, “ adds Dongre. Fabrics
can range from jacquards and linens to brocades and silks.

Wedding Dressing Market 2008

More weddings, more buzz in the market. Speaking about the US market, Ruby says that this year has had
more weddings than what we saw at the turn of the century. The difference is that now, brides are more
educated about embroideries and fabrics, and want to design or choose their own clothing, but do not have
time to go to India due to their busy work schedules. So, our job is to bring the heart of India to the American
Desi brides by offering a large selection of designer bridal wear in-house, “ready to wear”, as well as a
designer on staff, who can put together the bride and groom’s attire and the matching accessories to make
the perfect wedding ensemble!

In India, the trend is inching towards sophisticated flamboyance. Embellishments involve the use of antique
gold, swarovskis, glass beads, and lots of fabric effects in tonal and contrast looks. Ombre is also another
look to watch out for along with metallics, this season. A total co-ordinated look is boring, and it is far trendier
to mix various elements to make a unique fashion statement.

The Myth

The biggest myth is that brides should wait on designing their bridal
dresses as long as possible, so that they can follow the latest fashion.
In reality, bridal wear doesn’t really “go out of fashion”. Your bridal
attire is about “you” and who you are. It is supposed to complement
your skin color and body type, so that your photographs are
complementing you. You need to design your dress so that your
photographs look beautiful even after 50 years.

According to Dongre, a very common myth and a mistake brides end

up making is over embellishment, therefore making an OTT style
statement. Bridal wear is not all about being overly done up, but about
choosing key pieces that make up a certain style quotient. For
example, it is interesting to pair a muted embroidered skirt with a
crystal embellished choli and maybe an embroidered leheriya dupatta,
with both elements involved.

A word of advice

Before you decide your final wedding date, start looking for your
favorite halls, entertainers, and caterers and see what dates are still available, so that you can book the
ones that you really like. Most couples do exactly the opposite…They decide the date and then find out that
many of their favorite venues are already booked. Why settle for less?

About the Author:

The author associated with www.firstphera.com as the Senior Editor

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