Raas Manch
Raas Manch at Wedding Diaries was the zone where you could spot stalls by some of the biggest names in the Indian fashion fraternity. The Raghavendra Rathore stall looked pretty as a picture, decked out in a gypsy floral decor. Two collections were highlights of the display at the stall — the autumn-winter and the spring-summer. Embroidered floral prints and brocade on bandhgala suits and a linen line made up the collections.
Hyderabad- based brand Anushree Reddy that is celebrating 10 years in the fashion industry pulled in a huge crowd at the exhibition. The stall displayed lehngas and occasion wear, designed using the designer’s signature florals and Hyderabad’s local zardozi and pearls.
The shimmer collection at the Rohit Gandhi-Rahul Khanna stall was an eye-catching corner. They showcased the brand’s latest couture collection called Fibonacci — an amalgamation of art and design, where the brand’s old techniques amalgamates with new silhouette styles. The embroideries are more precise. The collection is inspired from the mathematician Fibonacci, who had described ‘a perfect wave’. Nude tulles, breezy organza, intricate embroidery, crystal, Swarovski are the highlights of the collection in terms of design detailing. Silhouettes like drape saris, cocktail gowns and draped kurtas were part of the collection this year.
We loved the colourful Victorian-style collection featuring neckpieces and earrings made of silver and gold studded with diamonds, emeralds and rubies, at the Tholias Kuber stall. “This time we got a mix of traditional jadau polki reminiscent of the old style of Rajasthan and Victorian-style jewellery with uncut diamonds and studded stones. Brides are preferring traditional styles,” said Vishal Tholia (right) and Sushil Tholia.
The signature Antar-Agni cuts and easy-breezy silhouettes in a classic colour palette, made out of natural fabrics, had our hearts this year, too, at the Antar-Agni stall. “We have come here with what we have done for our festive season. A new alternative take to what we do generally, apart from our signature. We have recently started working on subtle abstract embroideries also. We are trying to set a different language for men in our festive wear. That has been evident in our construction and we are putting it out there,” said Ujjawal Dubey of Antar-Agni.
The jewel-tone collection at the Roseroom stall was a trendy corner. Focussing on bridal trousseau, this year’s collection showcased lehngas, draped saris, chikankari lehngas and saris, cocktail gowns and heavy lehngas.
Brocade, one of the Kshitij Jalori signatures, was the highlight at their stall this year. “This year we are showing a bunch of print collection in silhouettes ranging from pantsuits to saris and bridal trousseau. Apart from our signature brocade, we have prints and embroidery,” said Kshitij.
The ombre shoes at the Toramally stall caught our eyes. “We have introduced a lot of new styles at the Wedding Diaries this year. We have introduced embroideries as per the modern generation’s choice. We have started doing embroidered leather and fabric shoes and we also tried to expand the kind of shoes we wear in India like spade sole shoes that are not very common in India,” said Rahul Shastri, founder-designer.
The polki collection at Bhuramal Rajmal Surana Johuree was a standout section at the stall. “We are focussing on minimalism and less is more trends for our present jewellery collection. We have tried to create fusion jewellery items this season with polki, coloured stones and diamonds, bringing the traditional and modern together for the contemporary brides,” said Urvashi Surana Shaw, designer and store head.
We loved the all-pink embroidery and patchwork section at the Varun Bahl stall that showcased their couture 2022 collection featuring floral embroidery. Silhouettes like lehngas, jackets, sherwanis featured their signature patchwork in fabrics like silks and tulles. The colour palette included pink, ivory and the edgy sage green.
431-88 by Shweta Kapur from Faridabad showcased their newly launched collection Icons and their sari edit, including bright tones like gold, fuchsia, electric blue and lime in fabrics like silks, pleated fabrics and net. The Telgraph spotted Shivika Goenka shopping at the stall. “I think there’s something for everyone. I liked the whole experience and service counter that they have. I think it is a good mix that they brought in,” said Shivika.
Apart from shopping, there were masterclasses and activities to keep one busy...
MASTERCLASSES
Bombay-based make-up artist Tanvi Marathe created a simple make-up look in her masterclass while teaching attendees the tricks and providing tips right from preparing the base and concealing to highlighting and doing lips and eyes. “I wanted to make it simple in terms of language and executed a look that didn’t have too many layers yet enough to sport at any event or occasion. It is my first time in Kolkata and interacting with everyone was great. My tips for any bride-to-be is keep it ‘you’ and keep it classic. Figuring out a good dermat is important, following a strict skincare routine, plan well to avoid stress pimples and give importance to skin-prep before make-up,” said Tanvi Marathe.
Celebrity drape artist Dolly Jain presented three different drapes at her masterclass — a pleated sari look, a hand-tie-up modern drape and a wedding drape. “My focus has always been to make the drape as easy as possible for the young generation. At least girls should learn how to drape basic saris, so that they fall in love with saris and wear saris more often. We all love Bollywood, and since Alia’s wedding, brides are opting for saris more than lehngas... layered drapes with two or three dupattas for extra drama and light lehnga,” said Dolly Jain.
GIFTING:
Code Silver in the gifting section at Raas Manch displayed an array of products for shoppers to pick up gifts for the bride and the groom. Products included home decor items, jewellery boxes, mirror and cutlery items.
STYLE PICK
Designer Jyotee Khaitan looked pretty as she turned up in a floral maxi dress with a hint of slit in the front. She styled it with a belt and strappy shoes.
“I have been visiting Wedding Diaries since the past three editions. I like the designer line-up and looking forward to buy make-up products,” said Preeti Singh, who turned up in a slit palazzo and comfy white shirt from Zara.
“I come every year. This time I attended the exhibition as I wanted to find out the latest trends in wedding fashion,” said Dipti Tibrewal, who turned up in a beige outfit from Sakshi —Stitching Stories.
BRIDAL SERVICES
Sutvacha Skin and Laser Clinic by Poonam Negi gave cosmetology solutions to visitors based on their skin problems. The different types of treatments for which booking was available are skin lightening, skin brightening and skin tightening. On-the-spot treatments included laser hair removal and hydro facial.
Celebrity hairstylist Alpa Khimani was seen sharing tips and tricks with brides-to-be and visitors. “I think people still need to be more informed about hairstyling. My suggestions for the brides-to-be were to plan their hairstyles according to the functions and decide it based on the jewellery and outfit. Taking care of hair and skin is important. The trend this season is to keep it within the comfort zone, specially after Alia’s wedding. People are opting for open hairstyles, simple ponytails. Brides-to-be should not experiment with any style 10-15 days prior to the wedding,” suggested the pro.
“I have been visiting Wedding Diaries for the past three years. I love the collection. I will be married within the next two years, so this exhibition gives me a good idea for planning my wedding,” said Mehal Gupta.
“I have been visiting Wedding Diaries since the past few editions. This is the only exhibition I attend. There is a wedding coming up in the family, so I shopped for jewellery and saris,” said Radhika Toshniwal.
Aww...
We spotted this cute doggo outside Raas Manch, who accompanied her mommy for shopping, dressed in a pretty spotted outfit.
A look at some of the stalls that were housed in rang manch at swabhumi for the two days of the exhibition
RANG MANCH
Sapna Kumar Fine Jewellery in Rang Manch was one busy stall. The model-turned- entrepreneur showcased fine jewellery in 18 and 22 carat that are “India inspired and handcrafted in Delhi”. The stunning range starts from Rs 30,000-Rs 40,000 onwards. Sleek chokers, bracelets, earrings to finger rings — the collection is minimalist with a touch of class.
“This is my first time in Kolkata as a jewellery stall owner. I have come here with no expectation, I just wanted people to get to know my brand. It’s fine jewellery, so I expect to build a relationship over time,” said Sapna who struck a pose for The Telegraph camera looking stunning in a pantsuit with sneakers.
Multi-brand store OGAAN showcased a collection that was a mix of light Indian and contemporary, keeping the wedding and festive season ahead in mind. From options like prints, solids, embroidered, the collection had them all. “Brides now are going towards the Indo-Western modern twist like a cut-work lehnga or an embroidered lehnga for Mehndi. They want to layer up with jacket, wear lesser jewellery... they are going the more contemporary way,” said Pooja Arora.
For Sounak Sen Barat who grew up in Kolkata, it always feels like coming back home when he gets his brand House of Three for an exhibition. The designer was highlighting his all new chikankari collection in Bhagalpur silk comprising cut-out dresses and jumpsuits. There are pastel hues and a black-and-gold range that has stunning corset top with jamdani motif that can be teamed with sari or skirts . “We always try to mix things up. Our collection is an amalgamation of different crafts. For our country with this much diversity and history, it is our social message of unity. Everything is customisable here,” said Sounak who participated in Wedding Diaries for the first time.
Kolkata label Sayantan Sarkar brought together its “bridal collection with our new range of lehngas and sherwanis along with a fusion line completely targeted towards the trousseau”. “Wedding Diaries has always been a buzz to associate with at the onset of the winter wedding season every year and this year was no different. The artistic decor and the elaborate stall set up did great justice to numerous brands lining up with their wedding and festive collections. In spite of the torrential rain the spirit of Wedding Diaries was always high, inspiring us to do better every year,” said Sayantan who also got his diffusion line of ready-to-wear handloom ensembles.
A regular in Kolkata’s exhibition scene, Mumbai-based brand Cinderella by Heena Yusuf brought their wedding and bestseller products. “This time we got a lot of formal stuff since it’s a wedding show so we tried to get pairs that people can wear with many outfits and occasions. We got colours in gold, silver and nude also. The USP of our brand is we are totally customisable. Flats, two inches or three inches heels... we can make it according to the client’s choice,” said Yusuf, owner.
We spotted Mani Shanker Singh, designer and owner of Son of a noble SNOB being busy as always. “We have got our collection The War Within. The whole idea about this collection is that the war is not about outside but inside us and if you see we have done a lot of prints which are mostly industrial and geometric. The colour palette includes a lot of monochromes,” said Mani who summed up his brand as “modern minimalist.”
Displaying a range of tableware was Kaunteya, a brand from Indore. The three-year-old brand had participated in The India Story earlier and this time they showcased bone china gold-plated tableware. The collection was a combination of Indian art with luxury that made it a perfect gifting options. The USP of the tableware, serving ware and cutlery is the different art forms from different parts of the country.
Butterfly Bath & Bubbles was another great gifting option which was hard to miss, primarily because the stall smelled so good! Helmed by Shweta Malpani, they had everything from handmade aromatic candles, delicious-smelling body scrubs, bath bombs and essential oils. Breaking the monotony of boring candle diffusers, they had their newly launched diffusers which are hand-crafted and available in pretty shades.
What’s weddings without some gifts? Namrata Dalmia had an array of gift bags that were reusable and decorated. “We have also recently started doing flowers in these stunning bespoke bags that makes it very eye-catching,” said Namrata.
The wedding diaries was a gourmet paradise too. a look at the bestsellers
Pad Thai, Crystal Dim Sum and Thai Green Curry in the Asian section while Orecchiette Asparagus Heirloom Tomato and Basil Sauce in Italian section were clear hits at the Rang Manch counter. Timeless Wedding showcased food from Taj City Centre New Town, Taalkutir Convention Centre and Raajkutir-IHCL SeleQtions.
Kolkata loves chaats and it’s needless to say that the Chaats of India counter was a big draw for foodies. We totally loved Aloo Katori Chaat, Phuchka and Aloo Tikki Chaat from the menu.
“Timeless Weddings at Taj focuses on royal traditions with rich celebrations, thus making it a memorable experience for our guests. We excel in themed buffet set-up, chef action stations, fresh healthy options and grand desserts to create a wow moment with our food philosophy and culinary showmanship. At Wedding Diaries, we had some of the finest selections from Chaats of India, authentic Italian, Asian (dumpling and wok), Turkish delights with delectable desserts, which the guests generally look forward to at weddings. The response we received was fantastic,” said Subrata Debnath, executive chef at Taj City Centre New Town who also handles cluster operation responsibility for Taalkutir Convention Centre and Raajkutir-IHCL SeleQtions.
Pictures: Pabitra Das and B. Halder
