Manish Malhotra’s Favourite Lehenga Looks

Manish Malhotra is an unconquered king of couture. Known for his bridal collection, wearing Manish’s creation is every bride’s dream. The designer has come up with the most extravagant and heavenly lehengas which are too good to be true. His forte lies in bringing the best of both worlds by blending rich Indian culture with contemporary silhouettes keeping in mind the needs of modern day bride. Here we have a list of Manish Malhotra’s all-time favourite lehengas.
The Ethnic Red Lehenga
For all those brides who want to embrace the traditional red lehenga on their D-day, the ace designer Manish’s this red lehenga is an answer to it. This gorgeous red velvet lehenga with Kashmiri Zari embroidery work is all that you need to look every bit like an Indian bride.

The short choli blouse with embellished full sleeves and scoop neck is the very essence of this pretty lehenga. The skirt has exquisite detailing and is paired with golden net dupatta. Nothing can beat this amazing Manish Malhotra’s bridal lehenga.

Anarkali Inspired Pink Lehenga
Apart from the usual short crop top and skirt silhouette, this anarkali inspired pink lehenga is like a whiff of fresh air.

With hues like pink, golden and orange, this lehenga is perfect for a bride with an edge. The long flared voluminous top made with the sheer fabric provides the utter grace to the entire ensemble. Also, the flared skirt and net dupatta makes it one of the finest Manish Malhotra’s creations.

A Lehenga with a Twist
If you are someone who likes to stand out and do things differently, this bridal lehenga is just made for you. Manish Malhotra once presented his Gloss collection at Lakme Fashion week. The theme had all the deep hues like purple, burgundy, grey, brown and wine. These unusual colours and Gothics inspired outfits caught our attention for good.

One of the lehengas worn by none other than very beautiful Kareena Kapoor made heads turn. The very subtle tie & dye silk lehenga with long anarkali top is what we call a lehenga with a twist. The top has all the sequins and blingy adornments to give it a formal look. Not to forget the wide-bordered dupatta with thread work that completes the lehenga. So, if you want something which is both classy and chic, you now know what to pick.

Emerald Lehenga
Since emerald green colour is considered auspicious for the Muslim brides, Manish Malhotra has come up with the perfect bridal wear here. This emerald green lehenga with the pink border and heavy embroidery work is one of the Manish’s best creations.

The lehenga has all the required elements to make it an ideal wear for a Muslim bride. Deep green colour, long anarkali top with sheer fabric, quarter sleeves and sequined net dupatta makes this lehenga drool worthy.

One for the Peachy Bride
Bridal wear is usually restricted to colours like red, maroon and pink which is quite cliched. To break the monotony, the talented couturier Manish Malhotra loves to play with colours. The designer brought forward a mirror work peach lehenga in his Gloss collection.

What makes this lehenga so special is its colour and understated sequin and mirror work. Its simple grey raw silk blouse and net dupatta added the required grace. This lehenga screams simplicity and sophistication at the same time.

Lehenga from the Streets of Lucknow
Lucknow is famous for its chikankari embroidery. Taking cue from this age-old traditional embroidery work, the designer created a gorgeous mint green chikankari lehenga with pink border. This particular lehenga is sheer elegance with olive green silk blouse and net dupatta. The entire lehenga is adorned with chikankari handwork to give it a feel and originality of Lucknow.

Creme and Pink makes a Deadly Combo
Manish Malhotra’s crème and pink lehenga with gold sequins all over and jaal style embroidery border is a treat to eyes. This nude shade lehenga with intricate embroidery is to die for. What makes it even more special is its neon pink contrast with gold which makes it class apart. The resham blouse and off white embroidered dupatta is the soul of this pretty lehenga.

Red Silk Jacket Lehenga
Red colour is quintessential for an Indian bride. Be it the complete red bridal attire or just a hint of red, it has to be present in a bride’s dress. Keeping this fact in mind, Manish Malhotra came out with another out of the world red lehenga.

This lehenga has signature Manish Malhotra feel to it. The skirt is off-white in colour with gota patti border. It is kept simple in order to gel it well with the heavy embroidered red raw silk long top. This high neck and 3/4th sleeve long jacket style top speaks volume about the beauty of this perfect ensemble.

Another Red from Manish Malhotra's Collection
There is no denying the fact that the way Manish Malhotra makes red look really hot, no one else can do. The best example to validate this statement is this red net lehenga with silver nakashi embroidery and Kashmiri tilla work.

The embroidery is done just at the hemline area and rest of the skirt is kept plain. Talking about the blouse, it has all over chikankari work along with the simple dupatta to make it look ravishing. This lehenga is perfect for a bride who thinks you need not be over the top to look beautiful on your wedding day.

Though Manish Malhotra’s every single garment is special in itself but above mentioned are our favourite from this talented designer’s kitty. Hope you agree with us and take inspiration from these gorgeous lehengas for your wedding day!

Image Sources: www.zuri.in, www.pinterest.com

Best Bollywood Celebrity Looks of the Week - Celebrity Fashion Trends

Celebrities are always under the scanner for their looks, with a pressure to gratify the eager hunger of their fans watching them. Most of our desired celebrities do not thwart our expectations and satiate our hunger with a platter of exquisite looks and delectable style. The celebrity fashion trends these days, is at its pinnacle with access to high-end designer wear and accessories from India as well as overseas.

Some of the Bollywood celebrity looks of the week deserve to be distinguished and commended. Below are the few celebrity looks that have raised the bar for celebrity fashion trends:

• Aishwarya Rai: Walking as the showstopper for Manish Malhotra’s “The Empress Story” at the Amazon India Couture Week 2015 on Aug 2, Aishwarya Rai looked like the perfect Empress. She walked the runway in a deep brown gown with heavy golden work and a harmonising shimmery shrug. An eternal grace element of the celebrity fashion trends, Aishwarya managed to look stupendous in spite of being unwell during the event.

• Katrina Kaif: Katrina Kaif was seen promoting the trailer launch of her upcoming film Phantom with her entire team at a PVR multiplex in Juhu on July 25, 2015. Wearing a Prabal Gurung navy blue pantsuit with plunging neckline, Dior heels and her signature let down hair, she looked like an epitome of class. Katrina generally plays safe with her choices but manages to emerge stunning in every classic avatar she dons.

• Sonam Kapoor: Sonam Kapoor inaugurated the India International Jewellery Week, 2015 dressed in an emerald backless gown by Michael Costello. With a sheer fabric bordered with appliques holding the dress above, the dress flowed all the way down with caped sleeves. Accented with diamond and emerald jewellery and braided hairdo she lit the lamp and set the event rolling with her attention garnering fashion style.

• Anushka Sharma: Anushka wore a simple white Dior dress with pockets and zipper displaying sleeves, for the Pantene event in Mumbai on July 29, 2015. Being the queen of hassle-free celebrity fashion trends, she paired her relaxed yet trendy short outfit with black heeled Louboutins. She looked very chic while being in sync with the Pantene brand colours.

• Sonakshi Sinha: Sonakshi Sinha’s cream coloured Anarkali by Abu Jani-Sandeep Khosla, worn on the sets of Indian Idol Junior was very refreshing. The look was accompanied by braided hair, highlight chand-bali earrings from Metaphor and beige peep-toe pumps. In spite of being surrounded by controversy, the lady knows to silence her critics by presenting impeccable looks to the celebrity fashion trends.

• Priyanka Chopra: Taking celebrity fashion trends to a level up is Priyanka Chopra, who has posed in a very surprising look stretching her own boundaries, on the cover of L’officiel magazine. She is transforming into an international style icon. Her Egyptian style eye make-up and striking bleached blond hair, makes us wonder, is that our Bollywood girl, Priyanka! Wearing a curve hugging, colour blocked Salvatore Ferragamo outfit, she has nailed this international look for the cover story on haute couture titled ‘Fire and Ice’ in the magazine.

The Bollywood beauties are taking the celebrity fashion trends to an international level. Classic, experimental, quirky to sporty, the divas are acing every look and offering an interesting plethora of celebrity fashion trends to the audience.

Image Source: www.vogue.in, www.dnaindia.com, www.pinkvilla.com, indianexpress.com, businessofcinema.com

Who Makes to our List of Top 10 Indian Designers?

Indian fashion industry has made its presence felt globally. Fashion connoisseurs across the planet take cue from India’s rich cultural heritage and fashion forwardness.

The entire credit of taking Indian fashion to every nook and corner of the world goes to our very talented Indian fashion designers. Their belief and intense understanding of Indian textiles, fabrics and rich embroideries has let them carve their niche in the world of fashion.

Though there are many ace couturiers whose contributions are commendable, but we have jot down the few names who we believe are the top 10 Indian designers.

Ritu Kumar
This is one name that needs no introduction.  She is a diva and a true fashionista. Her designs are impeccable and her sense of fashion is beyond comparison. Known for her deep knowledge of traditional craftsmanship and vintage embroideries, she is the fountainhead of ‘boutique’ culture in India.  Her designs are a hit among both commoners and celebrities alike. She has many accolades in her kitty including prestigious Padma Shri Award.  Ritu Kumar indeed gets the top slot in our list of top 10 Indian designers.

JJ Valaya
This man from the royal state of Rajasthan is next on our list of top 10 Indian designers. JJ Valaya is one of the nation’s most celebrated designers. Calling him the fashion revivalist won’t be an exaggeration. Valaya, knows his art like no other. His forte lies in fusion clothing with the perfect blend of modern haute couture and age-old craftsmanship. His work speaks for him and his designs are on every fashion lover’s wish list.  Being one of the founding members of FDCI, JJ Valaya has seen fashion industry grow from an infant stage to the full bloom in his 20 years of dedicated career as a fashion designer.

Manish Malhotra
Manish Malhotra is undoubtedly the most loved designer among Bollywood actors. He has prettified bigwigs of film fraternity with his out of the world designs. This phenomenal designer has made his mark among the top-notch designers in India.  His larger-than-life creations ooze glamour and sophistication. Every girl dreams to wear a bridal lehenga designed by Manish.  His fashion career rose to the peak when he designed clothes for none other than the renowned pop icon, Michael Jackson on his tour to India. The singer was so impressed with Manish’s creations that he asked him to design for his other tours as well. That is why we proudly put the king of fashion on the third place in our list of top 10 Indian designers.

Sabyasachi Mukherjee
Sabyasachi has emerged as the rising star in the design circle. He is one humble man from Kolkata who let his designs do all the talking. His love for ancient Indian embroideries, embellishments, antique jewellery and vintage textile brings the old world charm in his designs. He has an eye for fine detailing and his forte lies in bridal and trousseau collection. He likes to blend the rich Indian culture with contemporary silhouettes. His originality and uniqueness has let him earn the title of being the only designer from India to present his collection at the prestigious Milan Fashion Week. No wonder, why he makes to our list of top 10 Indian designers.

Rohit Bal
Rohit Bal justifies the title ‘India’s Master of fabric and fantasy’ given to him by the Time Magazine.  He has redefined Indian fashion and has taken it to the international level.  His clientele includes who’s who of Bollywood, Hollywood, media and big corporate houses who respect and appreciate his signature style of strong aesthetics combined with the sheer attention on fine details. The designer is blessed to have the access to the best material and talent in the industry.  His approach towards fashion is ecstatic and exquisite which is prevalent from his impromptu dance performances at the end of every collection he showcases at fashion weeks. So, without him, our list of top 10 Indian designers is incomplete.

Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla
Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla make the awesome twosome designer duo. Together they create nothing but history with their designs. Their profound understanding of Indian fashion has let them make their noticeable place in the fashion circuit. Their sense of styling is both individualistic and complimentary at the same time. This designer duo has earned recognition especially for their ethnic wear. We would happily place them at the sixth position among the top 10 Indian designers.

Tarun Tahiliani
He lives fashion, he breathes fashion. After completing, his graduation in fashion from New York, Tarun Tahiliani realized the huge potential for designer wear in India. Keeping this in mind, he worked hard to revolutionize the Indian fashion industry as a whole.  Now he is a proud owner of multiple flagship stores across the cities. His creations are unconventional and way beyond the obvious.  So, without another thought we include him in our list of top 10 Indian designers.

Masaba Gupta
She is the reigning queen of prints. No one understands the impact of prints better than her. She is like the whiff of fresh air as she introduced quirky prints and flowy silhouettes when everyone else was revolving around the embroideries. Her designs are young, fresh and vibrant and are liked by people of all age groups. Her USP is quirkiness and she holds the title of being the youngest designer to open the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week in year 2010. Do we need to say more why she makes to our list of top 10 Indian designers?

Wendell Rodricks
He is a man who dons many hats as he is not just a premier fashion designer but also a fashion journalist and trainer. His key to fashion is chic minimalism and he believes in philosophy that simplicity is the highest form of sophistication.  His love for white color is prevalent in his collections. Being from the beautiful state of Goa, he promotes local Goan artists and craftsmen by organizing exhibitions and fashion shows. Wendell Rodricks is on number nine on our list of top 10 Indian designers.

Manish Arora
Last but certainly not the least; we conclude our list of top 10 Indian designers with Manish Arora.  He is an acclaimed Indian designer whose designs are handcrafted to perfection.  His collections are high on lively colors that give him an edge over the others. Apart from designing clothes, he has keen interest in cosmetics as he collaborated with the international cosmetic line Mac to bring a new range of lip glosses and eye palettes with bright yellows and candy pinks.

Image Source: www.mid-day.com, www.snipview.com, www.whizsky.com, www.indianexpress.com, www.womenfashioninfo.co.in, www.glamcheck.com, www.zimbio.com, www.theamazingmodels.com, www.kashmirobserver.net

Lakme Fashion Week Designers for Winter-Festive 2015

Lakme Fashion Week is a fashion show that will be held at Hotel Palladium in Mumbai this year, the commercial capital of India. Two times a year, in February and August, the fashion elite of India meet and enjoy the greatest fashion show in India. The Winter-Festive 2015 edition will start on August 26th 2015.

For the occasion a lot of designers will be present to show the entire world the beauty and trends of the season. The Lakme Fashion week designers will have four days to present their collection, until the 30th of August when the event finishes. It is a special year for Lakme Fashion week, which will celebrate its 15th birthday. A lot of the Lakme Fashion week designers that have participated in the past are returning to the show and have already practiced their shows.


In fact, the Lakme Fashion week has already helped a lot of designers and models to launch their career, and given a chance to six lucky newbies who have been selected to present in the GenNext show as Lakme Fashion week designers. These young designers will have the chance to interact with some legendary designers, and learn from them.

There will be a lot of big names within the Lakme Fashion week designers, such as Manish Malhotra and Gaurav Gupta, who will close the show. Despite showcasing at countless fashion shows in the past, the fantasy designer confessed to be stressed, as he said in an interview: "This year, LFW completes 15 years, and Gaurav Gupta ten years, so it's a milestone moment in my career".

Gaurav Gupta show - Lakmé Fashion Week 2014

Many great designers have already closed the event via the grand finale show, such as Manish Malhotra and Anamika Khanna. Manish Malhotra will also celebrate the successful ten-years of his label in August. He has promised an awesome collection, full of elegance and style.

More than eighty of India’s top fashion designers will be present at the event and all of them will continue to integrate India into the global fashion world, with a mix of traditional Indian and contemporary outfits.

Once again, a lot of famous models and Indian celebrities will walk for the Lakme Fashion Week designers, such as the renowned diva Aishwarya Rai for Manish Malhotra, and the beautiful Esha Gupta for designer Arpita Mehta. Some of the Lakme Fashion week designers prefer giving a chance to newbies model, such as the popular duo Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla, who be opening this crazy week with their show. Their collection promises to be a “tribute to the 70’s and 80’s”, with colorful and glamorous couture. We had love the Lakme Fashion Show Summer/Resort 2015, and the Winter-Festive show 2015 will start in a great way! We look forward to it!

Mother of the Bride - Indian Aunty Sarees

A wedding affair is mostly all about the bride. However, the mother of the bride ensures that her daughter does not stress out for her big day and irons out all the creases cropping up at the event. So this lady needs an outfit befitting a queen when she is bidding adieu to her princess.

The famous Indian designers like Neeta Lulla, Manish Malhotra, Ashima- Leena, etc. offer an amazing collection of Indian aunty sarees that the mother of bride can pick from. She can follow these guidelines in choosing one of the Indian aunty sarees:

Go Pastel

When her daughter is going for bold colours she can opt for paler hues. Very light tints of blues, greens, beiges, peaches and pinks are great choices for the mother of the bride.

The fabric can be sheer or opaque with crystal embroidery or applique work. The light tones of Indian aunty sarees do justice to the age of the wearer and glorify class and grace at the same time.

Hema Malini in pastels

Easy on Embroidery

Indian aunty sarees with lighter embroidery work on just the borders and the pallu is a nice choice for the mother of the bride. On these lines, the website Strand of Silk offers an amazing collection of sarees from the Indian designers, for the mother of the bride.

 

Neon Pink Saree by Anita Dongre

Gold and Off-white Saree

Like Mother, Like Daughter

The mother can match her saree with her daughter, by choosing a common colour theme. She can go few shades lighter in the colour choice. When the bride is going for lehengas with bare midriff, the mother can go for sarees in similar colour and same type of lighter embroidery.

Hema Malini with Esha Deol

Aishwarya and Jaya Bachchan

Tread the Tradition

The mother of the bride can go for the traditional Indian aunty Sarees like Kanjeevaram, Banarasi, Chanderi, Sambhalpuri, Bandhani, etc. Each of these sarees, uses traditional Indian weaves, prints or fabrics. The traditional Indian sarees always look amazing on elderly women and brings culture to the traditional wedding affair.

 

Paithani saree

Kanjeevaram Sarees

Blouse it Up

The Blouse for Indian aunty sarees should be one that gives coverage to the arms and adds drama to the saree. For leaner arms the mothers can go for sheer fabrics with borders and shorter sleeves.

For heavier arms a more covered look with opaques and embroidery depending upon the saree is a way to go. The veteran actress Shabana Azmi is seen a lot in full sleeves or three-quarter sleeves and she looks very classy wearing sarees with longer sleeved blouses.

Shabana Azmi at Lakme Fashion Week

Pull an Additional Pallu

An additional stole added to the other shoulder without pallu (saree pleats on the shoulder), with matching embroidery and colours gives a regal and commanding look. It adds dimension to the saree and takes it to a different level.

 

Waheeda Rehman with the extra Pallu Saree

The Indian aunty sarees are definitely a more popular and suitable choice for the mother of the bride over lehengas and anarkalis. The mother of the bride’s saree does not intend to take the limelight away but it subtly speaks for the woman behind the girl, who has begun a new journey in womanhood.



Image source: www.bollywoodvogue.com, www.designerblouses.co.in, www.indianweddingsite.com, www.metromela.com, bawree.com, bollyspice.com

The Top Lakme Fashion Week Designers for Summer-Resort 2015

The Lakme Summer/Resort fashion show 2015 was held from March 18th to March 21st, at the Palladium, Mumbai. The highlight of the show was that, the most of the attention grabbing shows from the seasoned Lakme Fashion week designers, were held off site from the venue. The success of any fashion show lies with the power designers’ showcase and the promise that the young talent displays. The Lakme fashion week designers put up an avant garde display at the event.

The young Lakme Fashion week designers gave a lot of fresh perspective. Among them there are few notable ones. Anushree Reddy who is already popular with the bride in her 20’s presented her bridal wear with pastels combined with vintage floral prints, chevrons and stripes with a hint of bling. Mandira Bedi commenced the last day of the Lakme fashion week with her saree collection. She used a lot of colours with trendy cholis using banaras art on cotton and silk sarees.

Neha Agarwal’s ‘From Russia, with Love’ collection showed Indo-Soviet outfits. The Russian prints and babushka doll imprint were seen on most of the skirts and tops. The showstopper Karisma Kapoor’s pink bodice with sheer embroidered cape and printed skirt was outstanding. Ken Ferns theme ‘the eternal sleep’ saw red poppy flowers sprinkled on all his black and white outfits. They even had a hint of blue and mostly were printed modern wear. Karleo also presented a very western line with skirts, modern sarees and gowns. The young Lakme Fashion week designers did garner attention amidst the veteran glitz. There will definitely be an increase in the new Lakme fashion week designers every year from this year’s 39 new designers.

Anushree Reddy design

Neha Agarwal design

Ken Ferns design

From the veteran Lakme fashion week designers; there was some amazing work to watch out for. Sabyasachi commenced the grand show at the Richardson & Cruddas rundown mill with 120 dazzling looks. It portrayed the 70’s with bling, stripes, floral prints, solids and monochromes. Manish Malhotra’s show ‘the Blue runway’ was presented in association with WEvolve. This opening night show was again off site at the old world ‘Great Eastern Home’. As per his theme his outfits were mostly bound by the colour blue and were traditional with contemporary approach. Suneet Varma presented ‘the decorative arts of India’ bringing forth the traditional techniques of different parts of India. He used a lot of mirror work and embroidery on shades and tints of reds and magentas. His mirror work shorts and pants stood out in the show, as did the gorgeous lehenga with crystals. 

Satya Paul by Gauri Khan saw contemporary sarees and flowy attires with tropical leaf motifs and modern prints. Tarun Taliani’s work was funky, blending in the cool and warm shades. The multicoloured prints used on kaftans, jackets and dhotis with turbans, made a lively presentation. The showstopper Chitrangada Singh said it all about Tahiliani’s show with her bohemian blue printed top with pink layered skirt. Wendell Rodericks’s ‘Popology’ took inspiration from pop art and used young bright colours in geometric patterns.

Manish Malhotra design

Tarun Tahiliani design

Satya Paul by Gauri Khan design

Of all the Lakme fashion week designers, Anamika Khanna’s show was a memorable one. She brought the curtains down with her ‘Sculpt’ line. The show was held at Bhau Daji Lad Museum using a grand staircase as the runway. Justifying the theme the collection showed sculpted outfits with modern cuts and Indian aesthetics. The show presented lot of gold, gunmetal and silver with ivory and black. Kareena Kapoor who is the face of Lakme did the final walk down the staircase in amazing silver and black attire.

Anamika Khanna design

The show ended on a grand note and the Lakme fashion week designers made the event happen with lot of originality, which will see us through this season.
 
Image Source: Lakme Fashion Week facebook page