The India Couture Week – 2016, the five day extravaganza that began on the 20th of July in the capital is doing a great job at bedazzling and inspiring us, with 11 of India’s finest designers showcasing their best made-to-measure creations amid the pompadour of Bollywood style celebrations.
The theme this year seems to be dipping a lot into old school glamour and royal fashion, with most designers drawing inspiration from timeless vintage styles with colour, cut, style and make-up, sending us back in time with grandeur. Manish Malhotra opened the season with his collection inspired by Persian royalty, which he called ‘A Persian Story’. With Fawad Khan and Deepika Padukone as his showstoppers, and with his liberal use of velvets and gold, he very effortlessly gave us a glimpse of what it must have been like to have lived in Persian palaces.
Another vintage inspired collection is Tarun Tahiliani’s ‘The Last Courtesan’, inspired by the costumes of the legendary nautch girls of the yesteryears.
Wedding season is just around the corner and Indian Couture is made for weddings. This year has different designers showing bespoke pieces that are tailor made for different kinds of brides. So while you have the very grand, heavily embroidered pieces by Manav Gangwani, there are also the subtle creations of monsoon inspired Rahul Mishra and the futuristic fusions created by Gaurav Gupta. Anita Dongre also joined the show this year, showcasing her bridal collection for the first time in the four years that it had been running. So we’re sure that there is something this year for every kind of bride.
Rohit Bal is set to close the show with a finale that’s grander than grand and we’re quite excited for his collection because his line of bridal wear this season has been inspired by Russia. We hear he’s used Swarovsky Crystals in his pieces and his embroidery is meant to represent the opulence in Russian palaces and a very lavish sense of fashion. Because after all, if you’re the queen on your wedding day, it’s good to have clothes fit for royalty.
Brides-to-be (and even grooms), we hope you’ve been taking notes!