A Desi Tadka

The wedding season is here and its time allow the desi in me to resurface. A lot of my friends are tying the knot this year and I can't wait to wrap myself up in fabulous sarees and fancy dupattas.

Sometimes I feel that Indian designers have a huge playground to go wild in as compared to their western counter parts. For instance they're spoilt for choice in terms of what to design - salwar suits, lehnga cholis, sarees, fusion wear and dozens of subcategories that each of these choices offer. They have a mirage of colors to experiment with since most Indians love color and their choices aren't really influenced by changing seasons. Soft pastels like ivory, gold, beige and baby pink are just as popular as deep blue, plum, emerald green, burgundy and red. Our designers have the widest variety of fabrics to play with ranging from chiffon to tulle to lace to brocade to silk to velvet... ahhh the list is endless! Not to mention the various kinds of embelishments and embroideries available  like semi precious stones, crystals, chikankari, gota, zardozi to add that extra bit of glamour to any garment. Yes sir, Indian designers really do have a lot of history and resources to build upon!

Here are some stunning desi creations from this year's Lakme India Fahion Week.

Manish Malhotra, Bollywood's most famous designer works his wonder again. I love the nude and pink color combo of the saree in the first picture. Also love the full circle, layered ghaghra in the second picture.

Shyamal and Bhumika are designers based in Ahmedabad. I visited their store early this year whilst shopping for my wedding trosseau. Didn't end up finding anything as pretty as the pictures above.

Virtues is another lesser known designer boutique in Ahmedabad. If you prefer soft pastel colors and a personalized touch while shopping then this is the place to head to. Although they mainly specialize in lehnga cholis and don't have too many salwar suits or sarees on display they do encourage you to mix n match stuff rather then opting for a matching lehnga choli and dupatta from a single set. And I must say that the results are quite striking!

 

Vikram Phadnis is another popular Bollywood designer. His  bridal wear is very avant garde. Don't you just love his choice of colors in his creations above?

p.s I'm real glad that brocade is still in fashion.

These designers are just a drop in an ocean of numerous eminent and upcoming designers. Their fashion is no longer confined within India and a lot of them have been gaining recognition around the globe. The world is finally noticing the unique designs and the high quality workmanship of Indian wear and timeless garments like the Saree have found their way into many a foreign wardrobes. Like I always say a little desi tadka is all it takes to spice things up a notch!

* desi : refers to the peoples, cultures, and products of South Asia.

** tadka : a finishing touch or adding something extra to the actual content.

All photographs from Lakme Fashion Week.