Over the past two decades, Tarun Tahiliani, mostly known for his luxurious bridal couture, has created a global name for himself. The first Indian designer to be invited at the Milan Fashion Week, Tarun dresses a lot of Bollywood celebs as well. His designs are a perfect blend of rich traditional fabrics and sensibilities and modern cuts to suit the demands of contemporary Indians. The ace designer, who recently ventured into interior designing, will be showcasing his collection Tarakanna at Vogue Wedding Show 2017 to be held at Taj Palace, New Delhi, from August 4-6. Here’s chatting him up:
How would you define a Tarun Tahiliani bride?
A Tarun Tahiliani bride loves quality and fit, knows that style is not just what one wears but also how one wears it. She lives in heritage and is yet modern. The bride draws her allure and confidence from The Tarun Tahiliani brand — which is a modern Indian love story, and romance is at the very centre of its aesthetic.
Give us peek into your collection.
We will be showcasing the Bridal Couture 2017-18 collection, Tarakanna. With silhouettes that sparkle and shine, as if through a haze of stardust, Tarakanna is a portrait of understated cosmic glamour. We took inspiration from the Universe — constellations and stars being the core theme. The frothiness of celestial bodies translates into the lightness and movement of the garments.
How would you describe the changing face of bridal fashion?
Bridal wear is all about personal taste but in recent years there has been a tilt towards lighter and more structured styles. By using cuts, filling, couching and fine threadwork we too have endeavoured to bring lightness to our bridal line.
When it comes to Indian couture there is a visible evolution. Once you get comfortable in Western outfits people get used to the fit and proportion so they start enjoying well cut and fitted clothes which are easy to move around in. As most bridal wear revolves around couture there is no fun in heavy clothes which restrict movement and come in the way of the wedding celebrations — hence the shift to lighter outfits is a key trend.
What are the latest trends in wedding couture for both brides and grooms?
I’ve never been a big fan of trends. For me, clothing is more about individuality. Brides should wear whatever they are comfortable in and also select pieces that reflect their personal style and not follow trends blindly. Vibrant colours and a little bit of zardozi completed with tiny winks of Swarovski, are essential for the ideal wedding outfit. I am still an advocate of sarees for the pheras. At a sangeet though, a lehenga looks the prettiest as you see it in motion, twirling when people are dancing, particularly with structured drapes. For the reception, the current silhouette in vogue is beaded capes worn over lehengas, but again I think a modern-day anarkali and a beautifully draped saree work fantastically. When it comes to the colour, there is no ‘it’ colour. A red definitely is still popular with brides but we have also seen brides going for a more subdued palette of ivory and blush.
Indian grooms today are more willing to experiment. They no longer want to wear a suit on their big day and wish to instead look like royal Indian grooms. We see a lot of grooms wanting to coordinate their outfits with the bride in the same fabric and colour as her lehenga. Grooms are also playing with silhouettes with draped kurtas, mixing modern techniques with traditional silhouettes.
Given the number of rituals in Indian weddings, how can wedding wear be more comfortable?
My advice would be that they should choose ornate but lightweight garments. The styling shouldn’t be too overbearing. If you truly believe in your emancipation, you should want to look like yourself during your wedding and not like someone you saw in a movie. That is the true spirit of being modern.
With more women becoming independent, how do you reflect it in your designs?
As a fashion house, we cater to the modern Indian woman who is aware of traditions, yet very strong in her individual style statement. Our drape has also evolved over the years and has been transformed into dhoti pants and sarees with structure and form combined with zips and buttons that allow you to follow tradition while being relevant to contemporary demands of structured style and comfort.
How has the fashion industry changed over the decades and what is the kind of demand for Indian outfits, weaves and textiles abroad?
It’s been 20 years and I suppose we have our own views on fashion evolution. It means different things to different people. Indian fashion industry has become much more strategised and cemented. As Indians become wealthier, their standards are more exacting and the industry is gearing up for just that. India’s propensity to consume is gaining an international audience and this is changing the competitive landscape. It has certainly become more organised and a little more professional, and obviously the market has exploded, but I think that we still have a long way to go in terms of being more business oriented and there’s still room to get more organised and professional. What’s really heartening to see is that there are so many younger designers who are going places. The handloom and textile industry, too, has become more organised. I think handloom was very localised in terms of weavers with a certain look from a certain area sold through certain channels. There has been a lot more creative freedom and other regions are experimenting with textile alien to their region, especially if they are more lucrative.
