A t2 chat with actress Swastika Mukherjee on bridal wear do and don’t...

When you think ‘shades of a bride’, which shades pop up in your mind?

Gold and red come to my mind first. Gold because it adds a lot of glamour and there is something special about it. Red, in any culture, is synonymous with something auspicious and it goes with any person of any age. Wedding being the most special day of your life, you must wear red.

Your favourite screen bride and wedding scene?

Wedding scenes in Hollywood movies are simple and they do not overdo it. In the wedding scene in The Sound of Music, Julie Andrews wore a simple gown but with a beautiful long trail and she looked stunning. That scene, I feel, is a reflection of the modern era where the children followed the bride to-be and the eldest daughter was the best girl. Then in the Bride Wars movie, there were many Vera Wang wedding gowns that were fabulous. 
In Bollywood films, almost every one is getting married but I feel Tabu looked stunning in The Namesake. The wedding scene was typically Bengali, which had a simplicity about it, not over-the-top as shown in most Bollywood movies. 

Your all-time fave real-life couple?

I will absolutely vote for Brangelina and I look up to the relationship my parents had. This year if my mother was alive, they would have celebrated their 40th anniversary. In the profession that I am in, you always have doubts and dilemmas about relationships. My parents knew each other since my mother was in Class VII and my father in Class IX. And they never had a third party coming in between them or any hint of doubt, they were enormously in love with each other. In spite of seeing him every day, my mother would always watch him in the TV serials and even the repeat telecast! Nowadays, after a few years, people tend to get bored, but that was never the case with them.

What’s the most expensive sari in your closet?

I have two Sabyasachi saris that I got as gifts. One sari that I treasure is my mom’s Boubhaat Benarasi in violet and matte gold.

Your fave wedding accessory?

The tiara. I like the simple ones with two separate chains. I have bought two or three online, which can be teamed with western clothes too!

How do you think the modern bride should dress? 

The colour palette for the new-age bride would be a sari in shades of steel grey and mauve, royal blue and silver or mint green and red. I think a lehnga draped like a sari is interesting too! 

My idea of a new-age bride is somewhat how Sonam Kapoor and her friends dress up in the Gal mitthi mitthi bol song from Aisha. The way they wore the white and gold stood out. The modern bride can focus on an interesting blouse or accessory. Like an interesting nath is very in, or even a quirky nose pin. She should definitely do up her hair with lots of flowers irrespective of the hairstyle. The make-up should not be too loud; heavy eyes should be balanced with nude lips. Avoid shimmer and no sequins please! 

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Kalighata, a four-month-old bridal wear boutique in Salt Lake, unveiled its latest wedding line with a fashion show — Shades of a Bride — for which Swastika Mukherjee dressed up as a pretty bride. The collection includes handwoven zardozi Benarasi saris, lightweight and heavily-embroidered lehngas, and Anarkalis in fresh hues like mint green, salmon, peach and champagne as well as tangerine and wine. 

“Weddings are just not about the bride, they are also about the family members and friends of the bride who dress up too. So we have kept clothes in light floral fabrics alongside a huge 

range of saris with varied embellishments,” said Ritesh and Neha Kamani, designers and co-owners of the 2,000sq ft store. 

The fashion show curated by Jessica Gomes Surana, displayed outfits for the bride and her friends for Mehndi, Sangeet and the wedding.