Manish Malhotra. THE Manish Malhotra! I was beyond excited to see what impressive creations he’d whipped up. And who the Bollywood showstoppers were going to be! Last year, he had roped in Shahrukh Khan and Deepika Padukone!

The outfits were REALLY HEAVY, in both senses of the word. They were heavily embellished AND weighed a ton. Source of data: first-hand experience attempting to pick up the outfits at Vogue Wedding Show and on a weekend visit to his store.

But that’s what MM does.

Honestly though, I much preferred last year’s India Couture Week collection. That’s not to say there weren’t any potential trousseau items that caught my eye this year.

TDB’s Picks

Regal jacket lehenga. That looks like an anarkali.

Where to wear? Your Reception. Don’t be brave and wear it on a function where you have to move a lot, for the simple reason that you. will not. be able. to move.

Fit for a princess.

Where to wear? The bottle green shade and jacket lehenga style make it apt for your Reception.

Finally, bridal red and gold.

Where to wear? Reception. But only if you’ve not already done the traditional red and gold combination on your wedding day.
Traditional red and gold lehenga. LOVE the back of the blouse!

Where to wear? You can most certainly wear this on your wedding, or even Reception. Preferably, Reception. If it’s the wedding, you will have to make some major changes. One, you might want to consider adding tiny gold dots (chheeta) onto the dupatta. And two, you will have to completely revamp the blouse. Remove the collar, move the neckline down so you can pair some jewellery with it. Please stick to simple jewellery, and while everyone (including Manish Malhotra) will tell you to add embroidery to the front of the blouse – DON’T. The plain blouse balances the super heavy everything else of the lehenga, and the beauty of your jewellery will shine through only if the blouse provides a clean base.

How to accessorise right

I feel the need to tell brides this, so I will. PLEASE NOTICE how the neckline is already embroidered with designs that look like a piece of jewellery. And don’t forget to open your eyes to see how HEAVY all the outfits are. If you want to shine through in any of these, and by that I mean people actually see your face and recognize how beautiful YOU look, don’t wear anything on your neck. Which is why I’ve recommended all of these for your Reception. If you can find in-laws cool enough to let you go without jewellery on your neck, DO IT. Just put on big earrings, and a maatha patti OR nath OR maang tikka (please notice the word OR). THAT’S IT. To brides who will actually do this, a big thank you in advance from the all the wedding guests whose vision was not bombarded with yet another Over The Top bride who just didn’t know where to stop and went overboard. Just like all the others before her.

For Men

One of the few shows at ICW that truly catered to groom’s and male wedding guests’ needs, with outfits that men will actually wear. Thank you, MM!

This sherwani is my absolute favourite. Lovely texture, lovely colour. And the way the kurta is peeking at the cuffs. Boy trousseau dream-piece.

Where to wear? Sagan/Sangeet, or even Reception (if you and the bride are going traditional that day).

Uber classy. Love how you get a taste of the embroidered kurta underneath.

Where to wear? Your wedding, your sibling’s wedding.Classic Nehru jacket. In velvet. And differently designed gold buttons that give it a better-than-your-standard-button look aka the designer-wear look. (click on the image and zoom in to see a clear picture of the buttons)

Where to wear? Pair it with any kurta, and wear it practically anywhere.

Showstopper

I wasn’t particularly a fan of what Alia Bhatt and Aditya Roy Kapoor wore. But I am a fan of Aditya Roy Kapoor, and his boyish charms that kept me giddy his whole walk down the runway. *swooooon*

Here are the videos (followed by a few pictures), added to this post solely for your viewing pleasure.

 

 

Photo credits: Ashutosh Chaudhary

I usually end my posts with a single question, but today I have too many for you!

1. Which bridal ensemble would you love to wear to your Reception?

2. Do you also think Aditya Roy Kapoor is a cutie?

3. Did you like Alia Bhatt & Aditya Roy Kapoor’s outfits?