A model in pat bridal wear

Guwahati, Oct. 14: Assam’s exotic white-and-gold pat bridal wear has made a designer statement for the coming wedding season in the nation’s capital.

Showcased for the first time ever at Bridal Asia 2002, the koina (bride) mekhela chadors created by Assamese fashion designer Moonmoon Nath wowed connoisseurs and prospective brides alike at the high-profile show that concluded today at Hotel Taj Palace in New Delhi.

An ecstatic Nath told The Telegraph, “Going by the response to the mekhela chadors, especially in the traditional Hingkhap design, I am sanguine they will be the flavour of this season.”

The three-day international exhibition, into its third year, is organised “to dress the bride and her home”. The event displays apparel in “dream designs seamed with magic”, exclusive home furnishings and other knick-knacks that make up a trousseau.

Even as some of Asia’s top fashionistas — that include the likes of Ritu Kumar, Tarun Tahiliani, J.J. Vallaya and Monapali — showcased their exquisite creations, Nath’s mekhela chadors, home furnishings in muga and eri stoles were the cynosure of all eyes.

Altogether 80-odd fashion salons, including those from Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Bangladesh, vied for the prospective brides’ attention at the event.

“Let alone college-going girls, even brides are now beginning to experiment with outfits. I thus adapted the mekhela chador, which is extremely flexible, in contemporary ways. They were a huge draw,” said the designer who showcased the Assamese bridal outfit in several fashionable ways — the chador as a side dupatta, worn over the head, pre-pleated mekhelas and the like.

Nath’s first break in the fashion scene was with the first Bridal Asia show in 2000. “I was extremely unhappy with the scanty knowledge that people in the rest of the country had regarding Assamese silk and patterns and resolved to popularise our weaves and designs through this show, that is largely attended by the arty crowd and textile cognoscenti. The response to the first show was overwhelming,” said Nath.

The designer, who has so long concentrated on sarees and other home furnishings in Assam’s rich silks, however decided to take the plunge with mekhela chadors this year. She has a boon ally in Divya Gurware, the originator of Bridal Asia, who has “always been keen to promote Assam’s fabrics”.

“As a matter of fact, Gurware even wore a white-and-gold Assamese pattern pat saree for the photograph of the Bridal Asia brochure in 2001,” said Nath, who was the sole fashion designer from the Northeast to participate in the show.

Participants at the show are selected by a panel of “discerning connoisseurs” who meticulously study the creations of designers who apply in response to advertisements.