The sustainable jodi

In a world where the memorability of your wedding is directly proportional to how extravagant your lehenga is a new generation of brides are keen to make a sustainable sartorial statement mdash they are switching out their designer lehengas for more sensible staples that offer multiple wears instead of being relegated to the back of their wardrobes Actor Tapsee Pannursquos red salwar kurta set which hawkeyed netizens spotted in a recent video that was leaked online is emblematic of this shiftldquoTapseersquos wardrobe choices represent what newage brides are focusing on mdash the ability to move freely dance and enjoy themselves at their wedding At the same time her salwar kurta can easily be restyled in a number of ways which will allow her to keep wearing it post the wedding without looking overdressedrdquo shares image consultant Mihika BhanotWe invited likeminded readers to share the sustainable sensible swaps they made to their wedding looksA judicious mixSaba Poonawala 32 hair and makeup artistSaba Poonawala in her pure crepe silk salwar kameezldquoWorking in the wedding industry I often see brides buying beautiful and gorgeous clothes for their weddings only to tell me a few months later that theyrsquore stuck with their outfits While I am not against splurging a bit on a wedding outfit I wanted mine to be more wearableSo for my wedding I wore a pure crepe silk salwar kameez with aari work I paired this with flared pants that were custom tailored and a dupatta embroidered with the khombi work thatrsquos traditional to the Kutchi Memon community I was quite surprised when the other attendees applauded my choice and decided to do the same with their future purchases toordquoUpcycling to the rescuePrerna Sinha 46 yoga teacher and entrepreneurPrerna Sinha in the upcycled dressldquoWhen I got married 20 years ago I decided to tailor the blouse for my lehenga in such a way that I could wear it with other skirts as well But then a few years ago I decided to take the plunge and convert the entire outfit into a dress that I can wear more frequentlyIt proved to be an excellent decision as I have since worn the dress numerous times and it is so much more comfortable than a lehenga is Encouraged by the experience I have also repurposed two more heavy wedding sarees into a gown and a jumpsuitrdquoTraditional crafts never go out of styleShruti Sharma Maini 42 admission officerldquoGrowing up I would see my mother carefully taking her wedding dress out of the attic reliving the experience and then putting it back in storage So with that in mind I chose an outfit that would live in my wardrobe rather than in the attic I chose a lightweight Bandhani saree in vibrant hues which I wore 15 to 20 times after my wedding with multiple drapes I recently turned it into a lehenga choli where each piece can be worn separately or in combination with the otherRead before you buyldquoYour wedding dress is one of the most expensive apparel purchases you will make in your life many are waking up to the fact that itrsquos not worth spending a lot on an outfit that they will wear only once Storing an extremely ornate wedding dress can also be cumbersome The rule of the thumb is to visualise five places you can wear an item of clothing to before you buy it This brings down the costperwear to a reasonable amountrdquo Mihika Bhanot advises Follow her tips to get the most wear from your wedding weargtgt Choose a subtler outfit and spend more on jewellery which can be reworn many timesMihika Bhanotgtgt Monochromatic outfits can be easily broken up to mix and match pieces with multiple outfits This way when you rewear the pieces they wonrsquot be as easily recognised Bold prints on the other hand make a more lasting impression on observers and will be recalled relatively soonergtgt For men embellished lapels are a great way to dress up a suit they can be easily removed for a simpler more wearable look For women capes are a great way to completely transform how your blouse or lehenga looksgtgt Donrsquot be swayed by statement pieces mdash features such as ruffles and dramatic sleeves go out of fashion quickly Also invest in highquality pieces that you will enjoy wearing multiple timesgtgt Allseason fabrics like silk can be worn more times as compared to satin that is prone to sweat stains in hotter environments