Costume jewellery takes a refreshing turn

Tulsi Zaveri

Mumbai-based jewellery designer, Tulsi Zaveri brings forth a perfect mélange of traditional jewellery with undertones of quirk and modernity through her label, Ira. Her collection ranges from jewellery for everyday use to bridal adornments in refreshing designs.

Turquoise Kundan earrings by Ira

The colour palette she uses is speckled—from acid bright shades of tangerine and turquoise, to warm colours like powder blue and beiges, I love all her products. Her strength is kundan jewellery and she imparts modern twist to each of her pieces. The best part about her is that—she can customise the designs according to your whims and fancies. Excited? Well, I am.

Laxmi neck piece by Ira

Ira has jewellery for women from all paths of life; be it a college student or a housewife, a working corporate or a bride-to-be—you will find your piece here for sure. From necklaces in lilac shades to chandbalis in hues of reds and greens, payals in beaded textures to haathphools in jewel tones of emerald and sapphire—options are galore.

Neck piece by Ira

Love pearls? The above neck piece has many long strands of pearls that create a light-weight yet heavy look. The fresh colours of the natural stones and the meenakari beads give the necklace a new, hot feel! The neutral colours are perfect for any of your saris, lehenga cholis or anarkalis!

Purple natural stone necklace

Place your order at sales@irabytulsizaveri.com and find the products on Zaveri’s Facebook page- Ira by Tulsi Zaveri. You could also check out her products on her Instagram page- Irabytulsizaveri.

An ode to Gulmarg Valley—by Payal Singhal

Aditi Rao Hydari walks for Payal Singhal at Wills India Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2015

‘Firdaus’ by Payal Singhal is an ode to the enchanting Gulmarg valley in Kashmir, where time seems to have stood still—where paradise is not a paradox. The designer charmed the audience at Wills India Fashion Week with her toned down, super elegant Spring/Summer 2015 collection.

Payal Singhal for Wills India Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2015

The underlying inconsistency of freedom that the valley doesn’t really have, to the feeling of elation in being there is captivating and invigorating—exploring this juxtapose is the collection with its monochromatic colour palette of stone and black done in silk, chanderi, organza and tulle in modern interpretation of traditional Indian clothing.

Payal Singhal for Wills India Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2015

The silhouettes brought forth were palazzos with kurtas, long pants with cholis in silk, crop tops, linear jackets, and saris sporting pine tree prints and small floral dots, and more. Bollywood diva, Aditi Rao Hydari walked as the showstopper for Payal’s show.

Anushree Reddy for Lakmé Fashion Week Winter/Festive 2014

Anushree Reddy with Showstopper Nargis Fakhri

Since her debut at Lakmé Fashion Week Summer/Resort 2013, Anushree Reddy has made great strides in the fashion world. Her collection ‘Portobello – The Indian Chapter’ at the Winter/Festive fashion week had a vintage spin on age-old floral prints but with an innovative fashionable twist for her heavily embroidered garments.

Anushree Reddy

Inspired by Portobello Road, the collection had the elements reminiscent of old British charm with an emphasis on rose and vintage newspaper prints. It was a flirty, sensuous, collection with ornate handwork that had a touch of ‘je ne sais quoi’.

Anushree Reddy

Adding shades of dull and rose pink, sea green, beige and lavender, the rich fabrics like satin, tulle, chiffon, raw silk and organza added to the grandeur of the opulent wedding wear. Prints were part of the very glittering formal line as newsprints, flowers, flying birds and measure tape borders for dupattas and saris added an unconventional touch.

Nargis Fakhri in Anushree Reddy

The glittering silver embellishments appeared as splashes on the lehengas, gowns, cholis and dupattas, while broad borders added grace to the creations. Beautiful Bollywood star Nargis Fakhri looked stunning in a pink printed net lehenga, silver choli and pale green tulle dupatta as she ended the show.

Anita Dongre for Lakmé Fashion Week Winter/Festive 2014

Anita Dongre with Niladri Kumar

Inspired by the crafts and textiles of India, Anita Dongre’s ‘India Modern’ bridal collection presented by Taj Mahal Tea was a stunning offering at the fashion week.

Anita Dongre

Once again dedicating the collection to her mythical muse ‘Nayantara’ who is the ideal Jaipur bride, Anita drew ideas from the grand architecture of the Mughal era for her designs but aimed them at the 21st century bride.

Anita Dongre

To the pulsating beat of ace musician Niladri Kumar and his band, the ‘India Modern’ wedding collection started on a festive note with foot tapping melodies. A regal picture was painted by Anita as flowing bridal lehengas were given a modern twist. Subtle detailing and layering were merged cleverly with complex embellishments like gotta patti, dori and hand embroidery.

Anita Dongre

The rich fabrics brought to life the grand creations like lehengas, cropped tops, structured jackets with ornate pants and stylish couture gowns. The colour card was perfect for bridal wear as jewel tones of ruby red, peacock blue and raani pink gave the creations an opulent touch, while soft naturals like cream and flesh offered delicate options.

Anita Dongre

The first segment featuring jumpsuits, kurtas and tunics in black and white with gold work was a serene start to the show. Jumpsuits had gold edging, white or black shirt kurtas were teamed with embroidered pants. Cropped jacket had wrapped long tulip skirt, while a trio of gold, white and black embroidered kurtas made a dramatic entry.

Anita Dongre

Crinkle skirts or kurtas were striking on the ramp with just the right touch of embellishments. Long elegant front slit covers skimmed the floor with ornate trousers as the perfect complement. Lehengas were paneled and shown with simple gold cholis. Bandhani appeared for dupattas and long skirts. A sprinkling of gowns appeared in rust, beige and white with gorgeous gold work. Asymmetry appeared often for the kurtas that had cropped fronts that moved into elegant long backs.

Anita Dongre

Anita ended the show with a quartet of orange, blue, red and beige paneled lehengas with very ornate hemlines, cholis and dupattas. A trio of ecru jackets was teamed with raani pink, red and fuchsia glittering long skirts. Men’s wear had Anita’s controlled styling as a black sherwani or white one was textured cleverly.