How pastels are redefining the traditional narrative for Indian brides

The rise of pastels has left a couturesized void for shades that were once sworn for wedding ensembles Reds and burgundies have been folded packed in trunks and pushed back at the farther end of the wardrobe Now emerging is an army of brides who prefers to don muted elegance over brash shades for a failsafe experienceJoining the pastel gang are the newly minted brides the Indian actresses Kiara Advani and Athiya Shetty What stood out at the big fat Indian weddings were the regal shades of pastels that gleamed modestly under the morning sun Apart from the subtlety that the pastels adorned they were woven as a medium to convey tales that are deeply rooted in traditional values and craft Kiararsquos pastel rose lehenga had intricate embroidery that was inspired by her love for the city of RomeKiara Advani in her rose pastel lehenga on her Dday Photo courtesy Kiara Advanis Official InstagramAthiyarsquos lehenga was another masterpiece that narrated a tale of familial bonds and craftsmanship Midday Online spoke to Anjul Bhandari the designer behind Athiyarsquos Mehendi and Sangeet outfits that were centered around pastels Anjul reveals that when she sat down with Athiya to brainstorm the first thing Athiya requested was an outfit that will complement her grandmotherrsquos heirloom jewelleryFirozi or turquoise blue was the shade of her nanirsquos chaandbaaliyan and every detail of her outfit was finalised keeping that shade in mind Anjul found Athiya to be very craftdriven and opposed to draping anything quick and quirky Even the embellishments were requested to be of unpresuming natureAnjul Bhandari the Delhibased couture designer who works with craftsmen of Chikankari and Mukaish from the Awadh regionldquoAthiya is very soft yet sharp She was clear that the craft should be the most conspicuous aspect of her Mehendi ensemblerdquo shares Anjul The cue from Athiya turned into what followed an 18monthlong journey to create one of the finest and most delicate Chikankari lehengas the world has ever seen The resultant was a wholesome handembroidered needlework that was crafted with a labor of loveThe shade of the lehenga was a custom yellow that could not be pulled out of a contour or a shade card Colour experts devised the shade from a twentyshade swatch and dyed the fabric to achieve the exact tint for the mehendi outfit Anjul describes the shade as an lsquointersection of ordinary yellow tending towards a sunflower yellowrsquoAthiyas mehendi outfit was featherlight despite being studded with 39K Swarovski crystalsQuite contrary to the traditional lehengas that weigh a ton Athiyarsquos lehenga was featherlight This was actuated with the lightweight tonal Swarovski embellishments that had to be sourced from Austria to complement the yellow color The 39000 crystals were stitched to the entire garb to preserve the beauty of Chikan work What emerged was a couture piece that retained the bling along with a floaty experience of wearing itThe finer details of the lehenga had another tale to tell The needlework was produced by ten girls from the original land of Chikankari that is Awadh The artisans sat on the piece for almost 18 months in Hardoi to weave Athiyarsquos dream project into reality To complete the look Anjul designed two Chikan duppattas one based on lsquoJaalrsquo work and the second on border workChikankari imprints in the making of Athiyas mehendi outfitMoving on to the sangeet ceremony Athiya donned an ivory pantsuit outfit that was again based on Chikankari work Keeping the authenticity of the Chikan in mind the pantsuit was devised for a fun evening where she could dance and jump around in her sneakers Anjul says that despite the contemporary nature of the outfit the spotlight would still be on her owing to the heavily embellished couture piece that was true to the craftsmanshipldquoAthiya shares a beautiful intimate bond with her father and when she first tried on the piece she phoned Suniel to see his reaction The only thought floating in her mind was to have her father dressed in similar pastels as her So we designed a quintessential Chikankari Kurta for Suniel which had the Shettys beaming with undiluted happiness He chose to pair a dhoti with the kurta to stay close to his rootsrdquo shares Anjul in her press releaseWomen artisans in Lucknow working on the lehenga for Athiya ShettyThe choice of pastels in Athiyarsquos wardrobe to her jewellery was a wellorchestrated saga crafted by the fingers of women Not only did it provide agency to women artisans in Awadh but also celebrated the intricacies that a woman endows in her pursuits Consequently pastels became a vehicle to propel the generational bond which found its origins in the heirloom jewellery of Athiyarsquos grandmotherRead More Get inspired with this Valentines Day mood board for your wedding celebrations