Bridal Boredom

Tarun Tahiliani stuck to tried-and-tested fare with his collection ‘Modern Mughals’. Photos: Tashi Tobgyal

TARUN TAHILIANI

Keeping royalty as the peg, the veteran designer’s 2014 bridal collection “Modern Mughals” introduced us to the present-day “aesthete, who is a perfection seeking curator”, according to the collection note. Age-old embroideries and techniques such as aari work and gold thread work on contemporary fabrics such as sheer tulle, colours ranging from black to reds and oranges and OTT ornamentation — Tahiliani stopped surprising a long time ago. Champagne-hued lehengas, belted saris, anarkalis with ruffled layering walked the runway. Men’s couture was more exciting with sherwanis, bandhgalas with cummerbunds, Jodhpurs and dhotis. Tahiliani used Kanjeevaram for men. There were also some colonial style elements such as the jackets with tailcoats. Tahiliani used fabrics such as velvet, satin, crepe and merino wool. Our eyes, however, were glued to the lovely Christian Louboutin footwear the models strutted in. Also, the event has been sponsored by BMW automobiles. We get it. Why plant the car on the runway?

GAURI AND NAINIKA

Mixing glamour with the chaos that exists backstage, designer duo Gauri and Nainika Karan presented their bridal show. The deconstructed set and the last minute make-up touches on the runway juxtaposed well with the fine, fine gowns that walked on it. Black, white and red were their colours of choice and the silhouettes led to a standing ovation towards the end. Short pencil dresses with broad bands and slits, one-shoulder gowns with frills, strappy halter-neck mermaid gowns and even crop tops with flared hipster skirts with frills, dominated the collection. The girls used neoprene, the fabric used to make scuba wear, and that added a novelty factor to the collection that was otherwise more red-carpet than typical bridal in essence. While the 31 garments that walked the ramp deserved an applause, the silhouettes looked all too familiar. Evidently inspired by international labels known for their gowns and red-carpet looks, this range exuded a strong sense of déjà vu and that is never good news.