Fashion: Modern heritage & couture bridals make a statement

The collection called "Epic Love" was aimed at the wedding market. Chintz print lehengas were teamed with boxy and cape-style blouses.

Day 2 at India Couture Week (ICW) took us on a journey through Rajasthan and Lucknow. Mumbai based-Anita Dongre - India's commercially most successful fashion designer - showed at ICW for the first time today.
Dongre's label, 'Grassroots' is the high street success story of the Indian fashion market, is a designer who wears her love for Jaipur, on her sleeve. Her show's sets transported you to the courtyards of Rajasthan's most beautiful palaces. Starting with earthy tones, Anita worked her way up to vibrant pinks.
The collection called "Epic Love" was aimed at the wedding market. Chintz print lehengas were teamed with boxy and cape-style blouses. You could imagine the bride, or bridesmaids, wearing these lehengas to a wedding and then teaming the bohemian blouses with jeans for the after party. Fringe, a strong trend in India this season, was often used as trimming, and her favoured embroidery was gota (an applique technique).
Dongre's success comes from the fact she makes designer-wear that does not intimidate, and is accessible to the larger market. But couture makes no apology for being rarefied. You expect poetry from a couture collection, and somehow Dongre's collection lacked this. It seemed more like a ready-to-wear collection and lacked that punch. Epic Love also had no surprise element, and no real new statement to make - it was more of an in-store than a runway collection.
Perhaps, keeping in mind that this was Dongre first outing at ICW, and being one of India's most successful labels, we can expect Dongre to get it right next time.
On the other hand, Tarun Tahiliani - one of India's master couturiers - hit all the right style notes. This is a designer who enjoys the theatre of fashion, framing his ramp with a tableau of models wearing creations from his bridal ready-to-wear collection.
Tahiliani had dance stalwart Manjari Chaturvedi perform at the start and in the middle of show. His "The Last Song of the Courtesan" collection was an ode to the days of Umrao Jaan, Amarpali, and Mastani, and was shown in two acts. Opening with a ready-to-wear collection, Tahiliani then brought out his couture collection.
Interestingly, in both parts, the stand-out pieces were the ones in ivory, beige and gold colour stories. Of course, Lucknowi heritage was strongly referenced, be it in anarkali kurtas or the chikan and zardosi embrodiery in the bridal ready-to-wear collection. The use of lace and sheer fabrics, especially in his blouses, ensured that there was lightness, romance, grace, yet the outfit would turn out to be gently seductive. The dupattas were artistically draped. Swarovski added the right dose of glamour that is Tarun Tahiliani's signature, but nothing looked too shiny.
His bridal couture collection included blacks, a colour that is now accepted in the Indian bride's trousseau; many wear black for wedding events like the sangeet or reception. TT's gold story had mesmerized everyone at the show: which was evident from the sighs of delight from the audience. The handcrafted French knots, tilla and sitara embroidery were extremely fine yet statement-making. Sheer churidars, concept saris, and the use of knife pleating in lehengas gave this collection a very modern feel.
Adding the right - and very luxurious finishing touch - was art deco jewellery with Tahiliani's couture, and the red soles of French luxury footwear brand Christian Louboutin peeped out from under every look. There is a good reason why Tahiliani is credited for being the designer who first coined the phrase "India Modern"; he really knows how to source and depict India's rich heritage, yet keep it contemporary.
 

• India