10 Favorite Bridal Designers of Bollywood in the Last Decade – Wedamor
This decade saw some really important Bollywood weddings. It has somewhat changed our mindset with regards to the bridal lehenga. Where some Bollywood brides donned beautiful red designer lehengas, others decided to ditch the red lehenga and go for a different color. We also got to know the favorite bridal designers of Bollywood.
Well, if you’re looking for some inspiration for your bridal lehenga, here are the 10 favorite bridal designers of the decade:
Sabyasachi
It’s impossible that we talk of bridal lehengas and the first name isn’t of Sabyasachi. From Band Baajaa Bride to designing bridal lehengas for actresses like Anushka Sharma and Priyanka Chopra, Sabyasachi has aced the game. The poster boy of the Indian fashion industry knows Indian clothing, culture, and mindset like no other designer. His designs are far too complex to be understood by everyone but that’s where lies his charm. A Sabyasachi bridal lehenga is an ideal must-have for the well-heeled. His bridal collections are normally sold out within days of launching. But what we admire most is his understanding of color. His palette consists essentially of natural shades of olives, rusts, golds, and rich browns. His outfits have a special nostalgia about them as if they belonged to beautiful women of an era gone by.
Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla
The designers Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla are recognized for reviving chikankari and making it oh so pleasing. Curvy fabrics, the most complex embroidery, and embellishment and the most excellent finishes are their trademarks. Perceived to be the favorites of the Bachchan family and having had their designs being worn on the Oscar red carpet by none other than Dame Judi Dench, Jani and Khosla are also a favorite amongst the cultured in the wedding market. Their chikan and zardozi lehenga and sarees are work of art-making them a must-have. One cannot also forget all the lehengas they designed for Veere Di Wedding and Sonam Kapoor’s wedding.
Manish Malhotra
Manish Malhotra’s name is synonymous with Bollywood fashion and his stellar clients include the Kapoor sisters, Kajol, Aishwarya, Anushka, and Alia. Consider those beautiful brides in Dharma movies and you know who clothed them – Manish Malhotra, tinsel town’s favorite designer. Very familiar with the NRI set, his bridal outfits are all about breathtaking colors, luxurious fabrics, intricate textures, and fine embellishments. Every bride craves for a Manish Malhotra lehenga for her wedding.
Rohit Bal
He became the talk of the town when DeepVeer showed up at their reception in his clothes. His designs command and tantalize at the same time. Rohit Bal is praised for reinventing and resurrecting age-old techniques like gold leaf printing. His bridal collections have a sensual edge and yet unimaginable attention to detail and structure. His lehengas will make any bride feel beautiful, fashionable, graceful, and sexy.
Ritu Kumar
The acknowledged queen of bridal couture, Ritu Kumar reinvented the bridal market in the noughties with innumerous brides clamoring to own a Ritu Kumar original creation. She has a different style of her own which includes fine fabrics, beautiful colors and complex zardozi, bandhani, and chikan work, very classical silhouettes but very modern feel. It encouraged that many celebrity brides and Miss India contestants displayed her lehengas in the public eye.
Tarun Tahiliani
Tarun Tahiliani understands a bride’s dream is, “Opulent, grand and majestic – and yet contemporary”. He’s clothed major celebrity brides like Elizabeth Hurley and Shilpa Shetty. Fashion, craftsmanship, essence, and culture are the defining symbols of Tarun’s garments. It isn’t a surprise his lehengas and sarees are heritage and wearing a Tarun Tahiliani outfit is a defining moment for most brides.
Anamika Khanna
Well, who doesn’t know of Anamika Khanna! Anamika Khanna, best known for her respect in the industry, brings India’s vibrant craft encapsulated in the global forms through her collection. Every sophisticated bride yearns for an Anamika Khanna bridal lehenga for her wedding.
JJ Valaya
No one does opulence better than JJ Valaya. His love for all things royal translates into most beautiful lehengas in silk brocade ornamented with beadwork, embroidery, and crystals- a perfect fit for a princess. Yet what is remarkable is the fact that he has inspired men to drop their Armani suits and dress Indians to honor their brides.
Neeta Lulla
Neeta Lulla has designed exquisite and extravagant costumes for movies like Jodhaa Akbar, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, and Devdas. From Bollywood biggies to business families, her clientele swears by her signature running, sheer lehengas and saris. She has had her share of mistakes but then who doesn’t.
Kunal Rawal
From Arjun Kapoor to Shahid Kapoor, from Varun Dhawan to Vicky Kaushal, almost every Bollywood star has been seen donning a Kunal Rawal bandhgala or sherwani for weddings or festivals. Even when Pharrell Williams visited India, he chose to wear a Kunal Rawal sherwani. Even cricketers like MS Dhoni and Hardik Pandya have been spotted wearing kurtas designed by him. His embroidery techniques have garnered recognition within the Indian fashion circuit and beyond. Experimental design aesthetics combined with the designer’s expansive knowledge of the Indian market has resulted in strong brand positioning for the label.
