The second digital edition and the 14th edition of Fashion Design Council of India’s (FDCI) India Couture Week kickstarted on August 23, 2021, with designer Manish Malhotra's bridal collection, Nooraniyat. The collection follows Malhotra’s signature style of trails, drapes and veils full of volume and glamour. The Nooraniyat collection takes its cue from the traditional bridal colours of India—reds and golds with a generous amount of peach thrown in—to create a blend of contemporary, glamorous, and modern silhouettes.
The ornate lehengas were adorned by traditional badla and zardozi work, along with his signature sequin work. “My bridal edit is an amalgamation of moods and emotions of the brides. Creating their dream outfits and interacting with them over the years, I inadvertently got drawn into those intriguing memories and decided to capture it all," Malhotra explained.
Manish Malhotra chose Bollywood actor, Kriti Sanon as the showstopper for his Bridal Edit, on ICW 2021's opening day. Fashion influencer, Sakshi Sindwani also owned the ramp as she debuted at the couture week.
Day two FDCI’s India Couture Week 2021 witnessed designers Siddhartha Tytler, Suneet Varma, and Gaurav Gupta, present their bridal collections.
Designer Siddartha Tytler from Delhi made his debut at ICW2021 with his Ambrosia Couture 2022 Collection. The models scorched the virtual ramp in anarkalis, lehengas and sherwanis, all in the shades of ivory and gold. The ethereal collection’s highlight was the detailed yet thoughtful use of sequins, crystals, beads and thread work, not to mention the laser cutting, ruffles, quilting and pleating on the surface. While the silhouettes played on the volume, the fabric was more organic and included georgette, silk organza, Chanderi, silk taffeta, cotton, and silk tissue.
Tytler was followed by designer Suneet Varma and his Noor collection that focused on young love. The outfits were reminiscent of fairy tales with the use of pastel shades of mint, yellow, blush and ice blue, with extensive glass beads, crystals, and thread work embroidery.
The bridal outfits were all about soft, flowy silhouettes, scalloped backs, off-shoulder neckline and sleeves, bringing out the sensuous side of a bride. For the groom, Varma opted for pastel sherwanis, modern hemlines and thread embroidery.
Sindoor (vermilion), ruby, and sienna reds, silver zardosi and gold zari, skirts in tanchoi silk, veils in tulle, sharara sets in silk georgette, and trails, were some of the key design features of Varma's wedding collection.
Ending the second day of India Couture Week 2021 was designer Gaurav Gupta with his couture collection, Universal Love. The collection, inspired by astronomy and cosmos, was about celebrating love in all forms.
The contemporary collection was glamorous and glittering. There were gowns in Neptune blue, with embroidery to remind you of flying comets. Another lehenga in a cosmic grey shade, embellished with shaded glass in gunmetal and blue. A hybrid Indian gown in asteroid pink with rain-shower patterned embroidery, coupled with a multi-layered skirt. And, a cosmic violet gown with fan-like structures that made the model look like a princess from the future.
Gupta's futuristic glamour owned the stage on Day 2 of India Couture Week.