Misha Lakhani, a younger designer who recently made her debut with an impressive bridal collection at fashion week, belongs to the same school of thought. “Old is gold and red looks best when complemented by different textures and shades of rani pink, rust, plum, green and coral,” she says.
Red is synonymous with strength and grandeur and regal is exactly what a bridal ensemble needs to look. It is often paired with gold, as gold stands for prosperity amongst all cultures, especially Asian. Red and gold are considered the emperor’s colours in China as well as the entire Pacific belt. In traditional Japanese weddings, the bride has to change several colours: her first kimono is usually white (symbolising death) and then she changes to red, which stands for her rebirth into her husband’s family.
As opposed to the western wedding gown, which is almost always white, Asian brides avoid white as it is associated with death, grief and mourning. Even brides wearing white on the second day of their marriage, the valima, opt for a shade closer to ivory, cream and gold as opposed to a stark white.
“My interpretation of the classic bridal red is a timeless sense of elegance associated with the bride wearing this rich, warm and luxurious colour,” says Sania Maskatiya, another young designer who has gained immense popularity with her bridals in the past two years. “It embodies cultural significance along with traditional ties. I like to use the deeper shades of red with traditional work and play with the silhouettes in a bridal jora.”
“Red as a colour has always been associated with festivity and celebration all over the world,” agrees Sara Shahid. “In the subcontinent it is an age-old tradition for a bride to wear red, it also suits and complements most skin tones. At Sublime my favourite tone has always been a deeper rich shade of red which I love to use and compliment with dull gold antique work. It gives a very rich and classic look.” -
(Published in Dawn's All About Lifestyle)
