Maximalism makes a comeback in wedding fashion

Mint

5 days ago

Minimalism is out. Maximalism is in. That's what became clear after the India couture week concluded on 30 July.
Many designers opted for the decidedly-high drama, replacing more muted shades and designs that were popular for the past few years with OTT styles. Think layered sheer kurtas, ornate bodysuits, heavy crystal-embellished lehngas.
Here are some of the key trends that emerged at the couture week:
Dramatic silhouettes
Amit Aggarwal's couture collection Arcanum imagined DNA as a design style, with each silhouette presented in a sculptural form.
Falguni Shane Peacock, on the other hand, experimented with their signature feather style, showcasing full feathered dresses accented with metallic corset details. The brand's grooms wore beaded veils, and some of the bridesmaids completed their lehnga looks with bloom knotted hair pieces. Rimzim Dadu offered a more punk take on wedding wear with her embellished stockings and veils.
Corset, the new blouse
Almost every show this season showcased a few dramatic corsets styled with lehnga skirts. At Suneet Verma, for instance, corsets came in a palette of rose tints, ice lilacs, greys and obsidian black, combined with fitted jackets and shararas. In Tarun Tahiliani's collection, it was clubbed with a sari. Rahul Mishra, meanwhile, offered heavily embroidered corset dresses.
Statement-making menswear
Shantnu and Nikhil's collection derived inspiration from military archives and the regalia of India's opulent past. The design house proposed a statement-making closet comprising cropped jackets and ruffled tops peppered with sequins. The shine-on trousers added to a glam finish. So did their updated version of the signature draped kurta.
Manish Malhotra's Inaya collection presented a sharper spin on eveningwear, with sleek sculpted tuxedos, cropped bandhgalas, and sharply tailored suits that redefined formal dressing for today.
Archival redux
Designer Jayanti Reddy upcycled leftover scraps of textiles and embroidery patches from her previous collection to present a collection of saris, corsets, lehngas and sherwanis, all embellished with techniques like zardozi, sequin work and dori work. Her colour palette included powdery blushes, mint greens, festive reds, bottle greens, metallics, and her signature purples.