Dia, Sameera breathe life into Shantanu-Nikhil drapes
When Sameera, in a bubblegum pink satin one-shoulder gown, and Dia, in a suede black layered pants with a golden top, were being ushered in by designer Shantanu Mehra himself, one knew what to expect of this opening show about sensual drapes best suited for the Indian body type.
Theme: The S&N Drape, according to designer Nikhil Mehra, has been created for "the young, sexy, glamorous, edgy and confident woman." Though about the collection, he says, "we wanted to focus completely on our clients, people for whom we make clothes."
Collection: In an ode to the vivacious and chic women , the collection unravelled an interesting line up of kaftan-style short numbers in metallic shades, figure-hugging tomato red dress with a copper-coloured stole, short skirts teamed with fur coats, halter neck silk blouses coordinated with short skirts and shrouds, saree-like drape worn over netted bustier, and delicate backless dresses among others. The last leg of the show displayed an innovative range of white dresses with veils, and full credit to the designers for recreating the white wedding dream on the ramp, though momentarily.
My (Cousin's) Big Fat (Indian) Wedding: The Basics
Over the next couple of issues, I have determined to chronicle the making of my cousin’s wedding. One of the first questions that should pop into your mind (and rightly so) is why? Well, my answer to that is twofold. First, as far as weddings go, it doesn’t get more elaborate, drama-filled, or over-the-top than Indian weddings, and second, I do think that as far as Indian weddings go, this wedding is quite unique. The first reason, I am sure, will become more and more apparent as I take you on this journey through the making of this wedding. The second is why I felt this article was necessary in the first place. It is a sort of primer for all of the madness that is to follow. Being an arts writer, I’ll use a movie analogy to give you all of the basics you need to know to navigate through this wedding.
The Main Players:
My cousin, let’s call her M: 27, Bengali, Hindu, and really beautiful (I could be biased). She is my dad’s sister’s daughter, though in a lot of ways she is my elder sister. When I was in elementary school, she was the one who went to the big bad world of high school. She is the one who took me to my first R-rated movie. She was always the first one of us to take the first steps. She was the teenager who came every Sunday to my house to learn math from my dad, the grown-up and the first one in our generation to get a job; she was always sort of someone who paved the path, and in my head, she also told me it would not be so scary.