The much awaited India Bridal Fashion Week (IBFW) has started in Delhi and on July 23rd fashion experts and well-known celebrity designers, J.J. Valaya and Shantanu-Nikhil’s high-end couture collections kick started the extravaganza. Valaya started the day by showing his “The Maharaja of Madrid” collection. Shantanu-Nikhil’s ‘To Die For’ was also showcased at this time.
By being part of this gala, the audiences were taken back in time to the Mughal era. During the showcase of Valaya’s collection, big white royal umbrellas were placed and a makeshift palace court was created in which models sat in the thrones dressed and ornamented with chunky jewellery looking like kings and queens of the Mughal era. Valaya whose name is synonymous with opulence, royalty, and his talent to glorify and highlight India’s rich heritage – his collection showed the tale of the Maharaja who was fascinated by the Spanish art, customs, and forms. Schenographer Sumant Jayakrishnan had envisioned the set and brought it to life, which left the audiences mesmerised and drawn to the extravagance and opulence that the set proudly displayed.
Kabir Bedi and Kangana Ranaut grace the Ramp /Yogen Shah via ibnlive
The show started with the chirping of birds – a clever addition – that hints the starting of a calm and peaceful morning. A male model then began to play the trumpet in the middle of the set, which was followed by dancers clad in white saris who performed classy kathak performances synchronising with another dancer, who wore a red gown and danced to Spanish foot tap dancing. The music was provided and specially created by well-known musician Gaurav Raina of Medieval Punditz and showed a coming together of the Indian and Hispanic cultures, which was another element that displayed the essence of Valaya’s collection.
J.J. Valaya's Men's Wear via Luxpresso.com
Valaya’s collection was divided into 5 showcases: the first section was inspirations by lace, traditional lehengas, sherwani with bandh gala, accompanied with Manton de Manila’s fringed shawls, bolero jackets, and finally designs that showed an amalgamation of Hispanic and Indian influences! Spain’s famous artist, Diego Rivera and Eduardo Chicharro also inspired his collection.
This opulent event was followed by Shantanu-Nikhil’s contemporary ‘To Die For’ collection. Their collection began with the models dressed in white gowns and anarkalis salwar suits with intricate embroidery and gold cutwork. The menswear was also showed some unique pieces with a red-toga inspired kurta with fitted pyjamas.
Shantanu-Nikhil's Collection
The second day of the show started with the design collections of Meera and Muzzaffar Ali. Their designs showed the models dressed in a range of exotic bridal wear with pearls taking the audiences back during the Awadh days. White, beige, and creamy hues were the colours that were that highlighted on this day. Models wore everything from saris to lehengas to shararas.
Valaya's collection #1
This six day fashion show will also showcase the works of Tarun Tahiliani, Raghavendra Rathore, Falguni and Shane Peacock, Rohit Bal, Suneet Varma, Ashima Leena, Adarsh Gill, Jyotsana Tiwari and Rina Dhaka.
Source & other images: Indiantelevision.com, feminamissindia.com, and boldsky.com