At Vogue Wedding Atelier, brides leaned closer to examine a pair of almost 100-year-old natural-pearl earrings at Sanjay Gupta Hyderabad, compared sari borders and continued conversations about zardozi from one designer booth to the next. At Shree Jee Jaipur, melon-cut Burmese tourmalines were set with diamonds in a necklace created especially for the event. Seeing everything in one day was ambitious, but trying remained part of the pleasure.
Held from August 7 to 9 at Taj Palace, New Delhi, the second edition of Vogue Wedding Atelier brought together more than 60 Indian and international names across couture and high jewellery. Presented with associate partner De Beers Group, luxury mobility partner BMW and celebration partner Diageo, the invite-only Vogue Wedding Atelier combined private appointments with masterclasses, curated walkthroughs and the India debut of Vogue Café.
As wedding wardrobes expanded beyond familiar silhouettes, designers reconsidered where traditional techniques could belong. At Dhaaga & Co., chikankari covered a sharply tailored ivory pantsuit. Tilfi showed metal blouses that resembled breastplates, lending an armour-like quality to bridal ensembles. Anita Dongre’s Love All collection moved gota patti onto short tennis dresses intended for wedding brunches, after-parties and the tennis court. “The bomber jackets are my favourite,” said Dongre.
An enormous blush-pink floral installation curved through Aisha Rao’s booth, rising above embroidered lehengas as visitors lifted their phones to photograph it. Its oversized petals picked up the botanical forms embroidered across the collection.
Men’s growing involvement in their wedding wardrobes had also changed what the showcase offered them. The groom was no longer expected to select a sherwani and report for alterations. Manish Malhotra showed bejewelled brooches, Shree Jewellers presented long necklaces for men and Kunal Rawal showcased sherwanis that glowed in the dark as well as Ashoka buttons which contained pieces of upcycled marble.
During a jewellery masterclass presented with Golubhai Badalia Diamond, stylist Anaita Shroff Adajania said that more of her male clients were wearing their mothers’ solitaires and borrowing their wives’ necklaces. She encouraged guests to mix metals and find more than one purpose for a piece. Jewellery bought for a wedding needn’t spend the following decade in a locker awaiting an invitation grand enough to justify its release.
Several jewellers were also thinking beyond the wedding day. At Hazoorilal Legacy, a double-layer mangalsutra could be separated into several configurations. The lower strand could be worn alone or stacked with other necklaces; the upper strand could be detached to become a bracelet.
