Photo by Objective Photography
Weddings are an opulent affair everywhere. Indian weddings though are known world over for their week long of festivities. Brides and grooms today have plenty of help planning their outfits from designers, personal shoppers and stylists. As a guest on the other hand, dressing up for a wedding can be overwhelming. Trends are changing rapidly and everyone is always looking to stand out rather than fit in.
While traditional sarees, lehengas (see Sneaky Ninja’s post here) and salwar-kameez have been getting a modern spin in terms of silhouettes, fabrics, colors & prints, a trend that has been catching up since 2015 is an Indian version of a gown. This ‘western’ outfit can be given an Indian treatment with the use of embroidery, sequins & gota and I definitely see a lot more of this garment in the wedding season of 2016. Naturally, I was excited when Sravani & Smarani, the designer duo at Pushpak Vimaan sent me a design for an I ndo-western gown for our collaboration.
I love a twist on something classic, and a red gown with sequin & an interesting back seemed perfect for me. I was very impressed with Sravani, who I was in touch with to finalize the design, color and my size. In spite of the ten and a half hour difference in time between India and Philadelphia, she was always available & prompt to respond. She stayed true to her timeline & shipped the outfit to me in time for Diwali. If you are looking for unique pieces for your wedding trousseau or are looking to make a statement this wedding season as sister, guest or friend of the couple, I would highly recommend taking a look at Pushpak Vimaan’s collection on facebook or Instagram.
Coming back to my outfit, I wanted the gown to be the highlight and kept my accessories to a minimum. My closest friend gifted me a nose pin for Diwali & that was my only accessory with this outfit. Little secret: It was 45 degree F/7 degrees celsius when we were shooting. I wore a pair of leg warmers and woolen socks under this outfit, but I was cold to the bone! So excuse me if you don’t catch me smiling :P! Stay warm, my darlings 😉
All photos below by Gina South. (See one of our other shoots here)
