Here comes the new age Bride

While mothers, aunts and siblings may still form the entourage on trousseau shopping expeditions, girls are becoming increasingly specific about what they want. So what do designers have in store for this year’s brides?

Avant Garde Elegance
Most designers are drifting away from the heavily embroidered lehenga to something that contemporises India. According to Nikhil Mehra (Shantanu Nikhil), “Brides come to us because of our simple and elegant look. They fall in love with the silhouettes and avant garde pieces. They appreciate our concepts, not the amount of embroidery. Indian techniques are employed but they do not overwhelm the outfit.”

Sexy Silhouettes
As designers focus on accentuating the wearer’s body, we see silhouettes that shape the waist, make the hips look lighter and highlight height to lend poise and sensuality.

Global Leanings
Gaurav Gupta, who provides a modern artistic twist to his bridal wear through silhouettes, colours and fabrics describes the latest bridal fashions as “global couture with an Indian twist.”

Of Weight and Wearability
These new bridal silhouettes, which are absurd but beautiful blends of structure and fluidity are lightweight compared to their traditional predecessors. Women are becoming more practical and do not want to invest in something that will stay in the closet after one use. Gaurav has clients who order lighter cancans to reduce the volume, so that they can wear the same outfit to a family or friend’s wedding. His zip-up bridal outfit weighs a maximum of 3-5kg with embellishments, as opposed to the 9kg lehengas in which the brides wept as they exited their wedding mandaps.

Designed to Travel
The surge of destination weddings is also determining what brides wear. According to Rixi Bhatia, partner at Attic, “Brides don’t want to be traditional at a destination wedding. If they have a ceremony on the beach, a lot of them ask for maybe a white or colour-blocked maxi gown that they team up with a simple polka necklace or statement jewellery.”

Vivaciously Versatile
It’s not just clothes that brides are experimenting with. Rohan Begani of Begani Jewels explains, “Modern brides prefer higher quality white diamonds as they go with everything. Some also pick sets which have coloured stones, mostly rubies and emeralds because these stones are classic.” Years ago, larger, heavier pieces were considered bridal jewellery but today it’s about design and quality.

Modern bridal jewellery is much lighter than it looks, as brides prefer jewellery that can be worn throughout the night without burdening the ears or neck. Simple, elegant, single or double-lined necklaces with bigger stones, which can be worn later with western wear are popular, according to Rohan.

As Manish Arora says, “Brides want to be themselves on their big day. So they choose to wear something that defines them.” And as the definition of the bride has evolved, from a blushing innocent being handed into her husband’s care from her father’s, to an independent woman of the world who knows her own mind, so have the fashions.

Contemporary Alternatives
Every Indian bride’s favourite, Sabyasachi, though aesthetically traditional, has racks lined with black outfits which usually aren’t considered very bridal. Designers from the likes of Monisha Jaisingh, Varun Bahl, Anamika Khanna, Falguni & Shane Peacock to the more Masaba for Satya Paul, Rahul Mishra and Nachiket Barve offer modern alternatives to the traditional lehenga. Brides are moving away from contemporary styles and experimenting with new drapes for the saree or lehenga, which explains the popularity of silhouettes like the saree gown, lehenga gown and kurta gown. These hassle-free silhouettes literally take nine seconds to put on and have no petticoat or paraphernalia.

Breakaway Colours and Fabrics
Designers have also started switching red with bright colours, lots of gold, neon pink, lighter pinks, shades of orange, yellow, blues and ivory with gold. Some even opt for black for the ancillary functions. Pure fabrics like silk, crepe, lace, foiled crepe, net, etc are used in the construction of bridal garments.