Hindustan Times ST (Jaipur) - Hindustan Times (Jaipur) - City
Give traditional lehengas the ‘cold shoulder’
This regal vintage trend has made a stylish comeback this season
Forget fringes. This season is all about plume power. While the ultrafeminine and glamorous trend popped up everywhere on the global runways this year, Indian designers also presented their take on the vintage style. From feathered thigh-high boots by Saint Laurent to feather embellished lehengas by Manish Malhotra, fashion fell in love with feathers, as fringes and tassels took a break. “It’s a sexy replacement for tassels and pom-poms that have been around for some time now. Feathers add instant punk to a garment,” says designer Rina Dhaka. The best way to style the look is to keep it subtle “A little bit of feathers on a plain garment is the best way to wear it. Embellished feathers on the bottom hemline of a gown or sleeves are perfect,” says stylist Vikram Seth.
The mundane, traditional lehenga is passé. For the upcoming wedding season, why not wear a georgette belt with flowy drape, sporting brocade cigarette pants underneath a classy, embellished sheer lehenga in soft net? Designers have several fresh wedding outfit ideas for you to defy convention and turn heads. Do colour blocking with a stitched plain cotton silk shirt, along with a flared lehenga in the same fabric, with embellished motifs at the bottom or the border, with heavy statement jewellery to go along. Give the traditional lehenga-choli a trendy twist, by adding brocade or embellished collar. Large sleeves can lend you a medieval look. You could also opt for cold shoulder blouses, which have emerged as a staple in bridalwear nowadays. Add oodles of drama by sporting a sleeveless jacket over your cold-shoulder choli and aggrandise the cold-shoulder detail with pearl strands. Experimenting with the humble Indian lehenga can give you the sassy wedding look. Turn the lehenga skirt into a wrap-around or an extra-flared palazzo. An Indo-western gown illusion can be achieved by incorporating some flamenco inspiration and combining it with knee-high slit with ruffles. Give a well-deserved break to the usual blouse. A peplum top of organza, with a little embroidery from the neck to the waist will complement the heavy embroidered cotton silk lehenga well. Accessorise with a flowy dupatta or a belt to achieve an edgy, contemporary feel. (With inputs from fashion designers Anu PD and Mini Bindra)