Category: Fashion

Lockdown may have forced the Big Fat Indian Wedding to become a leaner affair but a bride’s approach to fashion is more discerning than ever. Of course there will always be a feeling of tradition when it comes to bridal fashion, but brides also want their dress to feel special, unique and something that speaks of them- good bridal fashion always marries tradition with modernity…writes Sujata Assomull.

Over the last month or so designers from Tarun Tahiliani to Gaurav Gupta unveiled their new bridal collections via the digital medium. Designed at a time when we were learning how to co-exist with Covid-19, and after the time when the forced pause caused an upheaval wherein many socio-political issues came to the surface.

MESSAGE IN A BRIDAL OUTFIT
Fashion has always been driven by politics and social issues, but of late, consumption seems to have forced it to forget its voice. The pandemic is a reminder to fashion that it does drive change-and designers are now talking issues-even in their bridal collection.

Gaurav Gupta opened India Couture Week with a fashion film called, ‘Name is Love’; on the runway were a diverse cast- trans-female, non-binary, same sex, plus size and darker hued models. His presentation spoke of Gaurav’s own beliefs as a known campaigner for issues such as LGBTQ rights, Gupta was an active spokesperson during the #Metoo movement. “Brides today know what’s happening in the world, they just don’t want pretty clothes. They want to wear something that is more than that.”

As more Indian designers realise they have a readymade platform to address issues; brides-to-be will turn to designers whose messages speak to them. So if it’s conscious living, Anita Dongre might be your choice, if it’s issues of new age feminism perhaps Masaba Gupta is the designer for you, or if you’re looking to address issues of diversity and are a non-conformist, then Gaurav Gupta is the designer for you.

COMFORT COUTURE

Gone are the days where brides wanted to be weighed down with embroidery, heavy silks and adorned with rows of necklaces. Today’s bride wants to dance the night away, feel easy, yet be the belle of the ball. Which means there is a new lightness that has come into fashion-be it Tarun Tahiliani, JJ Valaya or Rahul Mishra this has been a common to all fashion shows of late, and explains the popularity of thread embroidery and lighter emblishment techniques such as chikankari and aari.

In fact one of Mishra’s most popular looks has been an easy fit hand embroidered A-line silk-organza circular gown-it talks of a bride who does not want to give into the convention of Indian bridal dressing. Says Mishra, “I remember the time when ‘Organza’ as a fabric was never used for Indian occasion-wear and it always took us an extra effort to sell our sheer hand embroidered jackets. Fast forward to today, ‘Organza’ is celebrated by everyone as ‘the’ fabric for lehengas and bridal wear in India.” Diaphanous fabrics such as organza, chiffon and light crepes are now preferred over brocades, charmeuse satins and velvets. This also points to a new practicality that has come into bridal wear.

READY TO RE-WEAR

Brides now longer want an outfit that hangs in their wardrobe as a memory-they want to be able to rewear their bridal outfit.

As fashion becomes more conscious and value driven, no one wants to spend on an outfit that they cannot wear again. Especially when it comes to the lehenga, which remains as the most popular choice for the actual wedding day outfit. So blouses from a bridal lehenga can be reworn with a plain saree for formal functions, dupattas can be thrown over a silk outfit for a first Diwali or Karva Chauth, and the lehenga skirt can be teamed with a shirt as a fusion option for a friend’s wedding.

Says Mishra, “Many brides order separate crop tops with their lehengas to re-wear for a different kind of an occasion or style their blouses with a pair of jeans later.” Designers no longer design a wedding outfit as a one-time ensemble but as a piece that can be mixed and matched. It is something that newer entrants into the bridal fashion market such as Amit Aggarwal and Nachiket Barve are very conscious off, and reflects in their design approach. “Nothing pains me more than a lehenga sitting in a mothball lined trunk or stashed away for decades,” says Barve.

It does seem that there is a newness and refreshing change coming into bridal wear.\

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While the world has been busy adjusting to the ‘new normal’ thanks to the pandemic, a few people have been blessed and celebrate the biggest highlights of their life at home.

Many couples celebrated an engagement while other got hitched during the coronavirus. Some are revelling in the joys of parenthood as they welcome a new addition to their family. Once you become a dad, a lot of your life’s choices are dictated by your baby. For instance, you start seeing the world from a different perspective, by prioritising your baby over yourself. Upgrading or even creating an additional living space for your child. Along with your change in lifestyle, you also need to update your looks. Is if your beard really baby friendly?

Mumbai-based celebrity stylist and Gillette Grooming expert, Aalim Hakim, says keep it simple, short, and soft to avoid any pain when your baby pulls your beard or causing micro abrasions from cuddles. It is important that your look is baby friendly. Father to two sons, Aalim has played a key role in styling and guiding the new dads and expectant fathers on how they must maintain their beard including the likes of Hardik Pandya, Sumeet Vyas and Suresh Raina, who have all had to alter their looks to suit their new-borns.

Aalim says, the easiest and the least time consuming is to go clean-shaven, since you can then feel your toddlers’ hands on your cheek, it is an unmissable experience. But if that is too much to ask, then men can look at maintaining a light stubble or a simple moustache. The celebrity stylist shares some secret hacks to get your beard right for the baby.

To begin with, gather all your tools; pick up a good razor – depending on your skin and beard type use a Mach3, Fusion Proglide or a Skinguard. Along with this you will also need a comb, scissors, aftershave gel to get the desired style:

CLEAN SHAVE

While everyone might not like to be clean shaven, it is one of the most recommend method of maintaining personal hygiene and getting rid of dead skin.

This look is considered to be a confident and trustworthy look, because your beard can alter your face- structure. This look is an honest and open book. If you have good face structure like a sharp jawline and great facial features, why not flaunt it instead of covering up under facial hair.

The benefits of a clean shave are: It keeps your child safe from bacteria residing in your beard,
It can help remove dead skin cells (often the cause of acne and bad skin), It often makes you appear younger, It will compliment a formal appearance.

ANCHOR BEARD

Use a scissor and comb to even out your beard hair length. Wash your face with hot water or apply a hot towel on your beard as it will help soften the facial hair as well as open the pores. Apply a shaving gel or foam and massage it in a circular motion all over the face and neck area to condition the skin for a smooth shave. To achieve this look, the soul patch and goatee at the chin will be connected to create an anchor shape. The corner of the anchor will be hugging the jaw line of the face keeping the length and shape as required. You can keep your moustache in a pencil shape, or a pyramid shape disconnected with your anchor beard. Shave with a light and gentle pressure to give yourself a close shave.

After the complete process wash your face with cold water and apply aftershave lotion or balm as it is the best possible way to close your pores, soothe the skin and smell nice
The benefits of an anchor beard are: Keeps your cheeks clean, giving your baby room to feel your face, gives you a sleek, sharp and confident look, it will compliment your formal appearance if done. regularly

BALBO BEARD

Balbo beard is one of those styles that is a combination of both, the moustache and a goatee. This style is unique in its own way since the moustache and the goatee are not connected. The goatee is created in the shape of the letter ‘T’ where the letter is inverted.

Using your scissor and comb, reduce the density of the beard around your cheeks and disconnect your moustache with your goatee. Give yourself a clean shave with the best razor on the cheeks start shaping your goatee as an inverted T below your lower lip. It can be as thick/thin as you like.
Create a straight line while you move your strokes downwards from the top. Ensure your strokes are extremely sharp & strong. The benefits of a balbo beard are: Keeps your cheeks clean, giving your baby room to feel your face, it avoids areas that commonly experience patchiness, it’s an easy style to pull off and one that transitions seamlessly from day to night and a great go-to look for men of all face shapes.

HANDLEBAR MOUSTACHE

Using your scissor and comb, bring down your overall moustache length to about 1/5 of an inch. Keeping it longer at the edges around your mouth

Start defining the shape of your handlebar moustache by following your lip line to the corner of your mouth and trimming in a downward direction, create clean edges and tidy up any stray hair around your handlebar moustache

Create a neat parting with rounded edges in the middle of your handlebar moustache. Give yourself a clean shave with the best razor on the cheeks, chin and neck, taking extra care around your moustache. Comb and re-shape the ends of your moustache by twisting the edges around your fingers into a curl you like.The benefits of a handlebar moustache are: Keeps most of your face clean, square and wide faces are typically better suited for the

“As we experience the world through the safety of our homes, the oceans continue to churn, the wind continues to blow and the sky still holds her secrets and celebration from sunrise to twilight. Their freedom and lightness is a promise of new beginnings every moment,” says designer Amit Aggarwal as he launched his latest couture collection on Day 2 of the first-ever digital edition of the India Couture Week (ICW) on Saturday.

The self-confessed traditionalist has reinvented the wheel so to speak when it comes to traditional ensembles. “We constantly try and evolve the language of modern Indian craftsmanship. I think the pandemic has really got us all thinking about a higher responsibility towards our surroundings and nature. I feel nature has played a very important role in this collection,” reveals the designer.

Aggarwal captures nature through “the weightlessness of the ocean, the caress of the wind, and cradles the earth” with this collection in a dramatic underwater show, which played on various FDCI platforms for five minutes.

Staying true to vision of futuristic fashion and use of industrial material and signature polymers, the designer presented three dimensional, hand embroidered blouses in pearl and industrial yarn, paired with structured hand woven metallic polymer lehenga, striped structured lehengas complimented b structured lace palla, three-dimensional, hand embroidered blouses in pearl and yarns. The ensembles also consisted of three dimensional moulded blouses with lace and metallic polymer details.

“Couture for me is a feeling of wearing an outfit that is made especially for you, embodying your spirit and aesthetic. We always tread a balance of the surreal and functionality of the garment and it’s exciting to translate that vision into a digital experience. At the heart of it is our constant brand story of intricate craftsmanship and hand embroidery,” says the designer.

Through his show, Aggarwal also launched his website which offers sarees and lehengas, dresses, separates and his luxury pret line.

Designer duo Falguni and Shane Peacock forayed into a full-fledged bridal segment with the launch of their latest couture collection at the digital India Couture Week (ICW), being held digitally for the very first time.

The duo presented a fashion film titled “Spectacle Prive” which featured Bollywood actress Shraddha Kapoor as the showstopper. Directed by the designers, the fashion film recreates all the hustle-bustle happening behind the scenes of real-time fashion shows.

We spoke to the duo to know more about their collection, the experience of a virtual fashion show and the pros and cons of the digital format. Read excerpts:

Tell us more about the collection. What is it inspired of?

Falguni: The collection is inspired by the rich heritage, culture, architectural marvels, and the abundant flora fauna of Jaipur – ‘The Pink City’. The city fuels the collections creative ingenuity and its element percolates in the designs. We have forayed full-fledged into the bridal segment the very first time and the showcase includes bespoke bridal lehengas in classic red – a colour that is immensely significant to the Indian bride.

How was the experience of being a part of a virtual fashion show?

Shane: The experience was exciting. Planning things for this year’s India Couture Week was similar to a certain extent to our previous physical shows. The rush of showcasing something different, the designing and creative processes is just the same. That said, we are happy to be a part of India Couture Week’s first digital showcase.

How do you think the audience takes to the whole virtual experience?

Falguni: We believe the virtual experience is a great format as we will be able to reach out to a wider audience across the world as compared to a physical fashion show. It is definitely a more disruptive and a democratic format. People who may not have had access to fashion weeks will now be able to see the collections through a lens of curiosity and excitement.

What are the most important points to keep in mind while showcasing a collection virtually?

Shane: The most important thing to keep in mind is the storytelling should be clean and crisp and of course the purpose of the film is to show the concept thus engaging the audience.

What are the pros and cons of holding virtual fashion shows?

Falguni: If you plan things properly, then you can overcome any challenge. Since we had enough time on hand to prepare for our collection as well as for our shoot, these challenges don’t seem insurmountable. The challenge of social distancing, reduced staff, remote working can be taken care of with the right mindset and planning. We have planned for these new ways of working and we had enough time to prepare a breathtaking new collection.