It’s been a while since I attended a fashion show. And an entire fashion week – well, quite a while! Honestly, after attending my first one (India Bridal Fashion Week), I was dreading all the Fashion Weeks to come…ever. All I was thinking the last few days was

how tiring and hectic my next week is going to be. Standing on my feet for hours, constantly typing away at my phone and then later on my laptop – the week generally passes by in a blur of working 24/7 and you’re left completely drained.

Ah, what a beautiful mind space to be in at the beginning of Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week.

So while I stood in line to enter the first show of the day yesterday, fighting inner demons that beckoned me to the warm comfort of my bed, I started to feel myself slowly get comfortable. Getting back to the routine that Fashion Week is.

Standing.

I waited in a queue, or whatever that thing is that Delhi-ites like to form outside the show area, with Tarun Chawla. Yup, roped in my wedding photographer to shoot a few shows at WIFW! I looked around, hoping to spot my blogger friends, but didn’t find any. Officially, this is the most boring part of the day, and those 30 minutes seriously test the limits of your patience.

Entering the show area looking around in awe of the set.

Atleast half the sets evoke a sense of wonder in, well, I hope everyone, but definitely in me. TT’s show was one of those.

Who is TT?! Oh, I didn’t tell you? Tarun Tahiliani. Yes, he opened for WIFW. And yes, I call him TT.

The quiet excitement that builds up right after the announcement “ladies and gentlemen, the show is about to begin”

Finally, the sense of dread in me began to more surely give way to utter and absolute excitement. TT’s clothes are generally pretty damn gorgeous, and there’s always something pretty for brides. I couldn’t wait!

Mesmerised by the music. By the models putting on a show.

Finally, the models began their walk down the ramp. One by one, outfits came out. In black. Looking very non-bridal. Ummm…am I attending the wrong show?

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I realise that this is Wills Fashion Week, and not India BRIDAL Fashion Week. But come on! It’s TT we’re talking about. He is the MAN when it comes to bridal wear! Would he leave his key buyers in the lurch?

That gasp when you finally see an outfit you love.

Critique mode.

And suddenly you’re carefully observing every detail of every outfit, making mental notes of exactly what the outfit is making you feel and rating on a scale of 1 to 10 how much you genuinely love it so you know whether you’ll include it in

TDB’s Picks

While the collection wasn’t exactly bridal wear, and it would be unfair to expect that at a non-bridal fashion week, there were still plenty of trousseau picks. And a lot of trend tips you can pick and incorporate into your wardrobe.

This anarkali was a beautiful shade of red, and perfect for a newlywed who has subtler tastes in Indian wear. Take a different dupatta though, in my opinion. Notice the dhoti pants? While I still wouldn’t recommend pairing an anarkali with dhoti pants (unless making style statements is your thing), it’s definitely a good idea to keep at least 1 pair of these in your wardrobe. Pairing it with a shorter kurta or jacket is something you can actually wear to someone else’s mehendi or haldi ceremony.

Where to wear? Any evening engagement. Anywhere. As a newlywed. Or even your own Mehendi.

Another red, much shorter anarkali. While it looks kind of awkward from the front (I was viewing from the sidelines) because of those legging-style pants, I still love this outfit. The fluffy, fun silhouette makes it so pretty, and I couldn’t stop gawking at it all the while it was on the ramp.

Where to wear? Evening event. Ideally, as a wedding guest.

This half and half sari looked SO pretty in real life, I’d love to own it. As if the pops of red were not giving it enough character, that sequinned belt just takes it to a whole new level of awesome-ness. Sari belts are here to stay, it seems, and they’re getting prettier by the minute!

Where to wear? Friend or relative’s haldi or mehendi ceremony. Or any lunch/dinner party.

I LOVED the blouse. And this is what TT does. He’ll give you an anyway nice looking sari (probability of buying: 50%), and pair it with such a perfectly complementing blouse that suddenly – probability of buying: 100%!

Where to wear? Any get together, any where. This sari’s just fabulous.

While this looks a bit of  mish-mash of print, trust me when I tell you it was eye-catching in a good way. The flowing fabric gave it a relaxed feel, and the use of tiny embellishments made it stand out even more.

Where to wear? A dinner party as a newlywed.

Love the blouse. Love the luxurious layering of the lehenga. Hate how well her waist size & arms are maintained.

Where to wear? Your Mehendi. Your Sangeet. Your Reception. Take your pick. Or just wear it at home sitting on your bed working *rushes off to day dream*

The Remaining Collection

Lots of jhumkis. Relaxed, flowing outfits. A dozen different ways to drape a sari.

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Snapping out of it in time to applaud the designer.

The models came out one for the final line up, followed by the designer and his showstoppers. Once Mrs Shilpa Shetty stood at the edge of the ramp in the final pose, we knew the show was done.

All in all, good show. Some good ideas for brides to keep in mind, and in their trousseau. Very happy to get back to Fashion-Week-mode. Or, am I?

Repeat.

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All images by Tarun Chawla Photography

How much did you love Shilpa Shetty’s lehenga?