Trend and Style Update for This Wedding Season

Deciding what to wear on the biggest day of your life or on the functions leading up to it is not an easy task. Picking on the best essentials for your trousseau is no child's play. With many aspects to consider, it is wiser not to follow trends blindly. You should create your own style statements by knowing what suits you the best. As you shop for your bridal outfits, go through our delightful list of things that you can try incorporating in your trousseau trunk. After all, we want you to have the best mix of all that you need. So, take a look and get inspired!

Shining styles

A lot of times it does not matter what you are actually wearing if the colour or the fabric is radiant. Get familiar with a range of burnt and brilliant metallic fabrics and colours. Go in for glamorous gold, stunning silver and charming copper.

A black and gold saree or the light violet saree in any shimmering fabric, are sure to add shine to your look. These can also be an essential pick for the trousseau to keep you in the spotlight at a big family dinner or any other festivity that follow the wedding day.

The rich nuances

You wish to break the norms with your style statement? Then, stay away from the multiple neon colours like pink, green or yellow; and embrace the ink blue, charcoal black and deep maroon this season.

These colours are bold and will help you make an impactful statement whether in a saree,lehenga or suit. If you want you can enhance your black ensemble with bright and festive borders in a saree or anarkali.

Unique colour combinations

Tailored and embellished, the long shirt with a ghaghra is a perfect Indian outfit that will set you apart from the regular sarees or lehengas. Go for unique colour combinations like red and green, mint green and pink, orange and gold, or mustard and maroon.

Royal velvet touch

If you are a winter bride, do not shy away from incorporating velvet into your saree orlehenga. Wear a velvet choli with a skirt that has similar borders. Velvets will not only keep you slightly warm, but will also lend a royal and regal touch to your entire look.

A beautiful net saree with a velvet pallu, or a saree with velvet blouse, will keep you cosy on your engagement or reception. It will make you look like one who believes in comfort along with trends.

Vision in White

Wearing white on happy occasions is no longer considered wrong. Simply a dash of gold or silver on splendid whites can have you glowing with elegance and style, similar to any other bright and loud colour. Whether it is an anarkali or a straight suit, the colour white will keep the look simple yet effective.

Just add a dash of some of your favourite festive colours to the outfit. Red and gold make a classy combination with white and off white. So, pick out a saree and anarkali in white and you are all set to make trend statements of your own.

Go for some nudes

If you move a little away from white into the nude or beige territory, you will again be spoilt for choices. Combine the nude colours with gold, silver, reds, pinks or greens to create an impactful look.

Other interesting colours that are quite in trend this season are vanilla and custard. So, if you are too keen on making a minimalistic style statement, then apart from beige and white, pick up something in these two colours as well.

Triple tone look

Indian weddings are all about burst of colours. If you are the kind of bride who just loves this, then this one is for you. Why stick to one or two colours in an outfit when you can go for three or more. Yes, get edgy and play with colours.

Go for some unusual combinations like black-mustard-blue, orange-grey-black or pink-black-grey. You can also go for two shades of the same colour and add another contrasting colour to it, like cyan-blue-beige.

Red it up!

While other colours will come and go, there is one shade that will always remain a bridal favourite. Red (and all the shades close to it) has been and always will be ‘the One’ for Indian brides. Traditionally associated with love and luck, this is also the colour of choice for the festive season and auspicious rituals that will follow your wedding.

Pick out embroidered red anarkali for a subtle effect, gorgeous red and cream saree or suit for full impact or a classic red saree. Also remember, if you are in any confusion about the colour for your wedding outfit, you can never go wrong with red.

Traditional accessories with twist

Whether it is a classic embellished clutch in a geometric shape, traditional jewellery paired with contemporary outfits, and one-of-a-kind drapes for sarees– today everyone in the fashion circles are blending the borders of past and present. As a bride, take a cue from them and update an old favourite with modern glam. After all, a stunning look seems incomplete without an interesting and an exciting accessory to go with it.

Keep following important tips in mind while shopping for your wedding trousseau.

• As a newlywed, you will have to attend various functions after your wedding. So, keep some casual suits handy that can dress you up in an instant without you having to waste time and energy looking for what to wear. Also, make sure these casual suits look elegant and dressy, but are not too blingy or heavy on the eyes.

• Talking about being casual and comfortable at times, here is an interesting and stylish twist you can give to your newlywed look. Replace the churidaar this season with beautiful patiala salwars to add a North Indian touch to your trousseau. Invest in a variety of prints in the salwars to go with lightly embroidered shirts for all the parties and family dinners that you will have to attend after your wedding.

• Getting your trousseau in place does not mean spending a bomb. Be selective in picking up outfits. Look for the best deals, and try to get things that are value for money. Explore the combo sets where in you get two things at the price of one. It will not only add variety to your closet but also help you stay budget-friendly. This is a great option for all those casual suits that you will be picking for the daily wear.

So, fulfil your bridal wish list with the best trend-inspired outfits that will keep you stylish all through the festivities and ever after. Now as we hope that you are guided on a perfect revelry of bridal fashion, let the celebrations begin!

7 Mistakes You Should Never Make While Wearing a Saree

A saree is an attire that makes you look sexy as well as gorgeous, yet in the most traditional manner. At the same time, it gives you a chance to flaunt your figure. However, there are various things that you need to take care of, in order to look your best in this beautiful Indian attire. If not worn properly, the whole essence of dressing up in a saree may get spoiled. Little here or there can turn this elegant drape into a huge disaster.

Hence, here are few things that you should avoid when you decide to dazzle in a saree: 

#1. Wearing wrong shoes

Never wear casual platform heels or wedges with a saree. Also, the flats and slippers should be avoided as they spoil the overall look. However, high heels and stilettos go very well with this gorgeous Indian attire, as they make you look slimmer and taller.  

#2. Heavy jewellery

You need not have an overdose of bling when you wear your favourite saree on any particular occasion. This will surely get you good amount of attention, but certainly not in a right way. Go for delicate jewellery like subtle earrings, thin bracelet, and long sleek chains with small pendants, etc. This will accentuate your looks and also make you look your age, i.e., young!

#3. Experimenting the styles

There are various styles to drape a saree that you might be tempted to try on yourself. But, if you do not know how to drape it in any particular manner, then it is better not to give it a try. If you really want to be experimental, then you may take help from someone who is adept in the art of draping a saree in different ways.

#4. Mismatch with the occasion  

This is yet another mistake that you should avoid making, so as to prevent yourself from being a laughing stock. You might be having some favourites among the huge collection that you have. But, that does not mean you would wear them irrespective of the occasion. Wearing light-weight and subtle coloured saree is not suggested for a formal function like a wedding. Similarly, that shimmery fine fabric enhancing the beauty of your wardrobe is a ‘strict no’ for wearing in the office party.  

#5. Adding too many aides

Although it is a good idea to use a lot of pins so as to make your saree more manageable, but at the same time, you need to manage the pins as well. Make sure that you have managed to hide all the pins behind the fabric, and they do not show up from anywhere. Also, avoid using too many of them on a delicate saree, so that it does not tears apart. 

#6. Misfit blouses

Do not get tempted to wear sexy and extremely tight blouses, if they do not go well with your body. If you really want to wear such a blouse, make sure you bring your body in the best shape by following a fitness regime. Similarly, loosely fitted blouses also spoil the overall look. 

#7. Flared petticoat

Flared petticoat should be avoided as they will make you look fatter and shapeless. Also, they make the task of managing the saree quite difficult. It is therefore, always a better option to go for plain  and fitted petticoat.

Needless to say, a properly draped saree makes every women look extremely stunning and graceful. Now that you are aware of the do’s and don’ts of wearing a saree, make sure that you follow these every time you wear it, so as to make every head turn towards you. 

#Landmarkdesignerstudio #Panchkula #Chandigarh

7 Bollywood Blouse Designs Trending in 2014

Since Bollywood is the Mecca of Indian fashion, influencing greatly the Indian audience; We thought of sharing some of the popular blouse designs flaunted by Bollywood actresses at large.

If you ever notice any Bollywood actress, they always focus on their blouse styles rather than their sarees, which effortlessly blend femininity with fashion.

While traditional women prefer fully covered blouse designs to keep up the sophistication, the new age fashion-forwards opt for deep cut blouse necklines and bare backs to show a lot of skin so as to be under the spotlight.

Respecting both the preferences, the designers have conceived an array of styles, suiting almost every requirement and likeness.

Here are top 7 Bollywood blouse patterns, which are trending a lot these days. Continue reading!

#1 Princess cut blouse

This is perhaps the most versatile neck design, fulfilling both conventional as well contemporary requisites in terms of fashion. This is the reason; you’ll find this blouse neck design on the leading fashion runways at large.

From actresses like Sonakshi Sinha and Tamanna to Vidya Balan and the very young Genelia D’souza, every actress adores this style for her lehengas and sarees. The lastest seen was Sonakshi Sinha wearing a red lace lehenga with princess cut blouse at the Amby Valley Bridal Fashion Week.

#2 Chinese collar blouse

This is the best formal blouse design for working women, who are more into presentation and public relations. This kind of neck design offers a serious professional look with utmost modesty and elegance at the same time, if chosen smartly.

This type of blouse pattern was made famous by the evergreen Bollywood diva Rekha, who used to don this style in 80′s whenever she portrayed a typical Indian bahu role. Perhaps Rekha had taken Coco Chanel’s quotation to her heart, who has said that the less skin you show, the sexier you look.

This is the reason, when Rekha wore a saree, she made sure to show less of her décolletage. Her long neck with exposed collar bone made this design look great on her body. She looked extremely sensuous even though her back is completely covered.

And when fresh actresses like Nargis Fakhri don this style; it’s evident the timeless Chinese collar is still trending.

#3 Backless blouse with 3/4th or full sleeves

For those with heavy arms should always go for 3/4th or full sleeves. Aishwarya Rai, who always knows her flaw areas tactfully manages to hide them away from the camera, just as she knows the moment she gains weight, her arms are the first to tell. This is the reason; she prefers full sleeve blouse designs for her saree and same goes for her anarkali suits as well.

#4 Noodle Strap/Spaghetti Strap Blouse

Mandira Bedi made this blouse quite popular when she had hosted the World Cup Series. This blouse is bold and sensuous and is for the modern fashionista, who prefer to flaunt their assets and skin. Wear this blouse pattern only if you’re comfortable in showing skin and you’ve toned arms.

Katrina Kaif’s Swarovski-encrusted spaghetti strap blouse had gone viral, which she had paired with her matching fuchsia saree.

#5 Blouse with strings at back

This is one of the popular Bollywood styles, which was hugely trending in 90′s. In this classic blouse pattern, the back is left bare with strings connected to the shoulder in a crisscross manner.

Madhuri Dixit’s blouse designs on the reality show Jhalak Diklha Ja had become viral and a source of inspiration for all saree-wearing ladies across the nation. The actress flaunted almost every possible pattern including the blouse with strings at back. So, you can definitely go for this design to stay in fashion.

#6 Blouse with transparent full sleeves

This particular blouse pattern is elegant in its own rights and is both stylish and sophisticated. The sheer fabric on the sleeves both hides and reveals the skin simultaneously, thereby keeping up the curiosity level of the onlookers. Plus, the full length smartly hides away the heavy arms, whilst offering a seductive look to the wearer.

The sheer saree blouse is also commonplace these days among the Bollywood divas. Priyanka Chopra had promoted this design largely at the Marrakech Film Festival held last year.

A Ritu Kumar ensemble, the sheer saree blouse had long transparent sleeves with rich detailing and design. The actress had paired the black and gold sheer blouse with a lovely black and gold border saree, long danglers and coral lips.

Kajol, who was the showstopper of Manish Malhotra at Lakme Fashion Week last year, as he celebrated 100 years of Indian cinema, had also worn a full sleeve sheer blouse in boat neck design. She looked resplendent in this black sheer blouse with a delicate floral pattern running across the boat neck and long sleeves.

#7 High neck designs

This pattern looks great on tall women, especially women with long and thin neck and a great décolletage, as it highlights their best features. In Bollywood, it is often preferred by Sridevi, who looks extremely gorgeous in high neck design blouse and even Deepika Padukone, who looks resplendent in Sabyasachi sarees with high neck blouse designs.

As per fashion designer Kapil Arora,

“High-neck blouses are back in fashion, they are easy to match with any attire, one can team them up with different types of lowers such as cigarette pants or pallazos or one can also wear them under jackets. They easily suit almost all body types.”

And as per Pria Kataaria Puri, “such blouses have a very Victorian look and project a very vintage image. Also, they can be worn on formal and informal occasions and they look very sensuous and stylish.”

While Deepika had sported an elegant high-neck blouse with Anamika Khanna sari for Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s birthday bash, Kareena had also opted for a high-neck blouse with a net sari for the inauguration ceremony of an annual business conclave last year.

And how can we ignore Vidya’s look at the Cannes International Film Festival in 2013? She made several heads turn with her Sabyasachi Mukherjee attire – a high-neck brown blouse with an ivory sari.

Hope you liked this post! Stay tuned for more awesome blouse designs!!

Choosing Fabric For Your Bridal Lehanga

Choosing Fabric For Your Bridal Lehanga

When choosing a bridal lehanga there are several fabric and material options available in the market. Before selecting the fabric one must consider aspects like:

1. Season: Summer or Winter  

2. Time: Morning or Evening
3. Body type: Hourglass, pear-shaped and the likes

When selecting your lehanga, it is important to try different fabrics. You can get a feel for the weight, quality, and structure of the garment. See how the fabric "moves." This will also help you to narrow your search and focus on the fabrics that you are comfortable in.  With so many choices, how does a bride choose what is right for her?

If yours is a summer wedding or you don’t have experience wearing a lehanga for long stretches of time, avoid wearing a fabric that will make you feel uncomfortable with rising temperature. Use some light fabrics like chiffon or Georgette. Chiffon is a very elegant sheer fabric which has a graceful drape. Georgette has a grainy sheer texture. However, it is not as soft and lustrous as chiffon but it drapes well and is easy to maintain. In a chiffon lehenga as well as in Georgette lehenga, you will be comfortable performing the wedding rituals.

If yours is a winter wedding, a silk lehenga may be the best choice for you. It looks elegant and drapes well on the body. However, silk is expensive and therefore you may want to consider the slightly less expensive satin as the fabric of choice for your special day lehanga. A satin lehenga will feel smooth against your skin and will still save you some money which you can splurge on something else!

If you have a slim figure, organza may be a good fabric choice for you. Organza has a stiff drape and falls away from the body and therefore women built on the heavier side should avoid this fabric. This fabric will make them look even heavier. Because of the way this fabric falls, organza can bring a crispy feel in your wedding lehanga. Plus size women should always choose some fabric that has a nice drape and which tends to cling to the body. The preferred fabric for women with such a built would be silk, chiffon or Georgette.

Another excellent choice of fabric for your wedding lehanga is crepe. Crepe will give a beautiful drape that falls into soft, wide flares. However, it is an expensive and luxurious fabric with a dull sheen which also tends to shrink a lot. If you can afford and are ready to spend a good amount of money, you can go for crepe wedding lehanga too. If you’re ready to spend a fortune and feel like a queen, then why not go for the fabric of the queens? Brocade is a rich and elegant fabric woven on a jacquard loom and is usually stiff. Do remember that brocade is a heavy fabric and you need to be sure you are comfortable wearing it. We suggest you wear the fabric and see how it feels on your body before buying it.

A glamorous choice for your wedding day look can be a net lehanga. You can choose some elegant fabric like chiffon, Georgette or silk as its lining for making it a really beautiful wedding outfit. Last but not least, if your skin is allergic to synthetic fabrics, try to make the lehanga with some skin friendly fabric. Go for organic silk or other such fabrics. Cotton lehenga made with fine and soft cotton with sheen can also do provided you decorate it with some special fabrics and trims like net and laces. You can even have a net lehenga with a lining of fine soft cotton. The aim should be ultimate comfort so that the bride too can enjoy her own wedding!

What Zodiac Sign Bride Are You..??

What zodiac sign bride are you?

Ladies, take a tip from your sun sign to be the best possible bride you can on your big day, radiant, beautiful and happy. For the astrologically inclined, this is a fun way to learn what bridal traits your particular sun sign predisposes you to.

ARIES                                                                                            
Aries brides are the ones with the perfect marital vision. They will want to be personally in-charge of all the little details for their wedding. Being very hands on and do-it-yourself women, Aries brides will completely believe that doing it yourself is the fastest way to get things done. To ensure that she enjoys every moment of her special day, the Ariean bride will need to learn to delegate to those she trusts and then let go of her worries.

TAURUS                                                                                    
A Taurus bride will typically want a no expenses spared wedding for herself. Real exotic flowers, a rich lingering perfume for her venue, she’ll want it all. Colours send the Taurean’s senses soaring too, the richer, the better. But at the same time, this is a woman whose feet are firmly planted on the ground. She is practical. If her dream wedding is way out of the budget, the Taurean bride will know how and where to make compromises.

GEMINI                                                                                        
A Gemini girl’s mind is always travelling and she keeps up a pretty good running commentary simultaneously. She has so many great ideas for her wedding that making them all come together would be nearly impossible. Gemini brides will benefit from making decisions early on with the help of more grounded relatives and friends and then sticking with them.

CANCER                                                                                      
There’s no knowing if the cancerian girl is a gentle moon maiden or a wild loony bird. As a would be bride, she can drown people in her sorrows when things don’t pan out, and then double them up with laughter when she’s satisfied with the arrangements. Modesty is a thing with her, so the Cancerian bride will not be likely want an over the top luxe wedding.

LEO                                                                                              
This is the sign of the kings and queens, and the Leo bride will want her wedding to be one that befits a queen. This bride will want all eyes on her and to be the center of everyone’s attention. Nature seems to have shown some prejudice when it fashioned the Lioness with vivacity, grace, beauty and sex appeal for atleast 3 women. This is a bird with brilliant feathers and as a bride she will want to flaunt those.

VIRGO                                                                                          
The Virgo bride will be a perfectionist, to an extent that she may forget to enjoy the joys of getting married in her quest to smooth out all possible details for her wedding. For a Virgo bride, hiring a wedding planner might just be the best decision she makes in the entire planning process.

LIBRA                                                                                            
The Libra girl may look like a little doll, and dress in silks and laces, but for all her femininity, grace and sweet mannerisms, this girl’s mental processes operate with pure logic. If there’s a bride who can come up with a way to please everyone in both families, it’s the Libra bride. She knows how to have her cake and eat it too.

SCORPIO                                                                                      
The Scorpio bride will do things her way and not give a hang to what the neighbours or distant relatives think. Nor will she bother inviting the ones that she does not particularly want at her wedding. This girl knows what she wants and she knows how to get it. The Scorpio bride is most likely to get the best quality help in planning her wedding as she will be intolerant of poorly planned decisions.

SAGGITARIUS                                                                            
This bride will be the one most likely to go for a destination wedding. The Saggitarius bride, how much ever in love, will never be the one to wear rose tinted glasses. She sees the world exactly how it is and can apply clear reasonable logic to every situation, including planning her wedding details.

CAPRICORN                                                                              
The Capricorn woman has a steely determination that can enable her if required to single-handedly organize her wedding. This bride can seem more even tempered and emotionally steady than any other, but for all the outward calm, the Capricorn bride will always have secret worries like how will all the different people at her wedding get along without a glitch for an entire evening. The Capricorn bride is also likely to be the one to have a separate album made of the funny memories from her wedding.

AQUARIUS                                                                                
The Aquarius bride will be torn between having a traditional wedding or incorporating all her eccentric ideas and strange twists to the proceedings. She is nothing if not paradoxical. This girl would do well to stick with convention and go with what works for most people and save her strange ideas for after the wedding.

PISCES                                                                                      
This is the quintessential girly girl. The pieces bride will want the whole world to be part of her special day and she will want to spread the joy. But she needs to remember that more people does not equal more memories. She would do well to stick with the ones who will cherish being a part of her special day. 

Cotton, The Wonder Fabric

Cotton, The Wonder Fabric

The world uses cotton more than any other natural fiber and it is primarily grown and used to make cloth. Because cotton is a natural product and because of the way it is designed and manufactured into clothing, it has many advantages, such as its ability to control moisture, insulate, provide comfort and it is also hypoallergenic, weatherproof and is a durable fabric.

Cotton fabric can be washed in any temperature water, but the higher temperatures (although they may cause the fabric to shrink) are better for getting stains out. After washing cotton, it can be tumble-dried, but should be promptly removed from the dryer and either folded or hung to avoid excess wrinkling. Cotton fabric can also be ironed on high temperatures making it very forgiving. Some of the important features of Cotton are:

Moisture Control

Cotton fabric is breathable and transmits moisture away from the body and is absorbent and removes liquid from the skin, like a towel, according to Cotton Incorporated. Cotton allows you to remain comfortable as you exercise, keeping moisture from building up between your skin and clothing. The International Forum for Cotton Promotion states that cotton can take up to one-fifth of its weight in water before feeling damp.

Insulation

Cotton clothing protects against from heat in the summer and cold in the winter by providing thermal insulation as the cotton fabric traps air between the fabric fibers. The cotton fibers in clothing hold the fabric away from the skin, further allowing for more air to be trapped between the skin and fabric which helps with insulation and comfort.

Hypoallergenic

Cotton fabric rarely causes allergic reactions and wearing cotton is often recommended for those with skin allergies, notes Cotton Incorporated. Because cotton is hypoallergenic and does not irritate skin, it is used in medical products like bandages and gauze, and is the fabric of choice when it comes to baby clothing.

Weatherproof

Cotton fabrics can easily be manufactured into weather-resistant garments through construction and finishing of the fabric. For example, cotton can be made into a tight, dense fabric with a weather-repellent finish to make weather resistant clothing, yet the cotton fabric retains its comfort and breathability.

Comfort

Cotton clothing is soft and easily stretches, making it a comfortable fabric to wear. Due to its softness and comfort, it is often used in underwear and undershirts, according to the International Forum for Cotton Promotion.

Durability

Cotton has a high tensile strength, making it strong, durable and less likely to rip or tear. It is 30 percent stronger when wet, withstanding many washings in hot water.

In nutshell, There are many advantages to working with cotton fabric:
- It’s absorbent
- It’s breathable
- It doesn’t stain easily
- It resists static
- It has a soft touch
- It can withstand high heat
- It’s inexpensive

Before choosing to work with cotton, keep in mind a few of the disadvantages:
- Cotton is not wrinkle resistant.
- Cotton fades in sunlight.
- Cotton dries slowly.
- Cotton is prone to shrinking and stretching.