Danielle Jones strikes a pose in a Kiran Uttam Ghosh bridal ensemble. Picture by Pabitra Das

Pamela and Debbie sport lehngas from the bridal line of Monapali. Picture by Pabitra Das

The Bridal Asia exhibition in New Delhi between January 13 and 15 will feature collections by a fistful of Calcutta designers.

GoodLife takes a sneak peek at the wedding lines of Kiran Uttam Ghosh and Monapali.

Relaxed chic

“I would define my bridal look for the season as relaxed chic, as relaxed as bridal wear can be,” is what Kiran Uttam Ghosh says about the collection she will be showcasing at The Ashok in New Delhi.

“I’ve been talking of leaving my hectic life behind and this year everything I do should be more relaxed. That spills over to the bridal line, too,” Kiran elaborates.

The “complete trousseau” line boasts of lehngas, saris, kurtas — angrakha-style and antique choga inspired.

The colour story comprises all shades of gold and silver, along with bronze, sienna, blood red, burnt orange, aubergine, fuchsia and plum.

“The collection plays off matte against shine and rough against smooth,” Kiran explains the textures.

Cottons, velvets, jacquard, damask, silks like dupions and “all fabrics that drape well” shape the clothes.

The line works with a revival of old Kutchi stitches and mirror work embroidery from Gujarat, along with old zari, zardosi and aari work.

Red rage

The bridal beauties by Mona Lamba and Pali Sachdev come in all hues of red, accompanied by some muted pinks and loads of gold. “We have some nice contrast combinations like red-and-green, and gold-on-gold with a dash of red and so on,” says Pali.

Lehngas are the mainstay of the bridal line the duo will be carrying to the wedding extravaganza in the Capital, with an array of saris for the trousseau.

“The saris are mostly cocktail ones, suitable for the pre and post wedding functions and receptions. But for the wedding day, we have lots of lehngas,” she adds.

The cuts of the lehngas are mostly slim, fitted till the hips and then gradually flared. There are traditional full-bodied lehngas as well.

ouses come in different varieties, too — small halters to kurtis. The line also comprises some sheraras and gararas.

“For the lehngas, we have used a lot of pure silk nets, which is a very fine variety of net. This has been often used as the base fabric of the lehnga as well as the churni,” reveals Pali.

The other fabrics used extensively in the saris and lehngas are Benarasi, georgette, tussar and chiffon.

A blend of zardosi, gota, prints and loads of applique embellish the ensembles.