Choosing the Perfect Shoes for Your Wedding!

Most brides agree - finding the perfect wedding outfit is only half the battle won! Matching it with gorgeous accessories is a whole new task! And apart from jewellery, many brides face a dilemma about what kind of shoe would be perfect to wear for their big day. There’s so much to consider – the colour, style, heel height, material etc.

It is always best to buy one’s wedding shoes before the final gown/lehenga trial so that the height of the bridal outfit can be adjusted accordingly. If you’re bold rather than conservative, you can try a pair of shoes in a colour which contrasts your outfit. For instance, you can pair your pristine white wedding gown with bright red or deep purple heels, according to the colour theme your bridesmaids will be wearing. Or you can pick a small element from your outfit and match the colour of your shoes to that.

Be prepared to shell out approximately 10% of the cost of your wedding outfit on your shoes. There’s no point picking up a cheap pair off the street, because even if it looks good, chances are it will feel very uncomfortable by the end of the day. Of course, you can’t forget the groom while buying your wedding shoes! If you are taller than him, you may find it more appropriate to wear flats. If he is a lot taller, you can consider wearing a shoe which gives your height a boost.

But whatever you do, be sure that you keep comfort in your priority list! No matter how amazing a pair of 4 inch heels may make your feet look, be sure that you will be able to carry them off for the entire evening…. Blistering heels and aching toes can be complete mood spoiler - the last thing you want to happen on your own wedding! In case you have your heart set on a very high pair of stilettos, you can consider buying a second, more comfortable pair to slip into later. Even if you need both pairs to be the same height, platforms are always more comfortable than heels. And lastly, do keep your wedding venue in mind when making your selection. If you’re having a beach wedding, narrow-stemmed stilettos will not work!

So go have your “Cinderella” moment!  Happy shoe shopping, and good luck to all you soon to be brides!

Lace – The Most Enticing Fabric of The Season!

This season, lace is everywhere! Blouses, dresses, clutch purses, bags, sarees and even lehengas… lace fabric is quite the current fashion statement! Right from subdued fawn to striking neon shades, this fabric can be found in almost any and every colour at cloth shops, and is no longer restricted to dinner table doilies and wedding gowns.

What most people don’t know is that lace making is an ancient craft. A true lace is said to be created when a thread is looped, twisted or braided to other threads indepndently from a backing fabric. Though originally linen, silk, gold or silver threads were used, today cotton thread is often used as well. One of the most popular kinds of lace is Chanilly lace, named after the city of Chantilly, in France. It is often made using silk thread, and is known for its fine ground, outline pattern and rich detail. There was a time in the 19^th century, when every fashionable lady in Europe had a black or white Chanilly shawl!

Indian designers have given their own desi twist to the fabric, creating gorgeous lace sarees and lehengas. The transparent quality of lace gives designers an amazing opportunity to create a striking contrast by using a different colour for the lining / petticoat. The lace saree is swiftly becoming a "must have" for every bride's wedding trousseau.    

Today, extremely elaborate lace fabrics are available in the market which are heavily embroidered and cost as much as Rs.10,000/- a metre. Using just a single metre of such a fabric can completely transform an ordinary patterned wedding gown into a gorgeous, majestic looking outfit.

And for party hoppers, there is nothing like a lace saree to set the mood of the evening! Light and easy to carry, lace sarees are guaranteed head turners!

If you would like to get an awesome designer lace saree made for yourself, give us a buzz at 9821178804/65293067!

Flowers – An Imperative Part of All Weddings

Flowers are perhaps one of the most crucial elements of any wedding décor. Flowers are used not only as the stage backdrop for photographs, but also to cover the wedding mandap as well as decorate the entrance and hall pillars. Flowers add a burst of colour and a touch of fragrance, giving the venue a festive and graceful appearance. But the role of flowers is not just limited to décor during weddings. How can one forget the quintessential “varmala” or flower garlands exchanged by the bride and groom! In South Indian weddings, thick strands of jasmine blossoms are adorned by the bride in her hair, while in North Indian weddings, chains of jasmine are often used to cover the groom’s face. A gorgeous flower bouquet is a must for a bride dressed in a wedding gown, and in almost all weddings the bride and groom are showered with flower petals by the guests.  Many of the flowers used for wedding garlands and decorations (like the “Rajnigandha”) play an integral role in Indian mythology as well.

An experienced florist is the best guide to share a vision of how a particular flower can be used to create a memorable wedding décor. For those with budget constraints, there is no need to panic. Often with flowers, less is more, and good positioning with the use of inexpensive foliage can help create the illusion of a larger number of arrangements than there actually are. Each season has a special variety of flowers to offer, and it is always most economical and practical to choose the ones readily available during the month of the wedding.

How To Make Your Bridal Outfits Last Longer!

Wedding season is on in full swing, and our calendar is full of bridal outfit bookings!  Being in the rental business, one of our primary goals is trying to keep all our bridal outfits (incl. wedding gowns, lehengas, sarees and shervanis) looking absolutely fresh. We take it as a personal challenge to maintain them with utmost care, and find innovative solutions to rectify even the most minor kind of damage! Listed below are a few tips we have shared for those brides who wish to cherish and preserve their bridal outfits for the longest possible time…

• Send your outfits for dry cleaning as soon as possible! We know you will be busy with post-wedding rituals and your honeymoon, but do assign a friend or family member to make sure your outfit is dry cleaned immediately after the wedding. The longer sweat and dirt remains on a fabric, the higher the chance of permanent damage to the outfit.

• Wrap heavily embroidered garments in a thin cotton/muslin cloth before storing. Keep them in a dark part of your cupboard to prevent discolouration, away from dust, sunlight and moisture.

• Make sure you fold and re-fold these garments once a month so that the silk/zari doesn’t get damaged along the crease lines. On removal of the garment, expose it to air before storing it again.

• Avoid hanging extremely heavy sarees, keep them folded in a saree pouch instead. Saree pouches are readily available in marketplaces (in Mumbai you can find these in the Santacruz Station Road Market, Manish Market or Bhuleshwar)

• If you see a coloured stain on your white wedding gown (which might have been left from coloured confetti or makeup or anything else) that doesn’t go even after dry cleaning, you can try soaking the damaged portion in fabric whitener (as per the instructions on the product package). We have had excellent luck removing stains like this from satin, taffeta and net fabrics.

• Never use water on a heavily embroidered or silk fabric as water leaves permanent marks on these easily.

• Always use professional drycleaners for steam pressing and dry cleaning your heavy garments. Trying methods like ironing them at home with a cloth on top are usually ineffective and can often lead to disaster!

Bridal Trousseau Packaging

Today, packaging is almost as important as the gift itself! And for events as special as weddings, packaging takes on a whole new dimension.  One of the most important part of a bride’s preparation for her new life is her wedding trousseau.  A wedding trousseau consists of new outfits (including a variety suited for every possible occasion), jewellery, toiletries, cosmetics, bed linen and much more…  Trousseau packaging is the art of packaging each of these items in a specialized, ceremonial manner, enhancing the beauty of each article that the trousseau comprises of. Apart from the trousseau, there are also gifts to be given to members of the bride’s to-be family. Traditionally, articles for the bridegroom’s family are given in quantities like 11, 21, 51, 101 or 201 which are considered auspicious.  Each of these can also be packaged or wrapped in a unique manner, according to a theme or a colour. 

There is in fact an entire art to unique trousseau packing….  Golden thaals made of hardboard with edges fringed with sequins, stone studded boxes, mirror platters with bead work, embroidered saree bags and boxes, jewellery boxes, ring ceremony platters, decorative shagun envelopes, special fruit baskets and mithai boxes are just a few items that have become a basic part of trousseau packing….  Unique designs for trousseau packing add a personalized touch to the gifts, showing the love and care which each item was bought with. In fact, all the hard work which goes into selecting the best gifts and trousseau items can go unnoticed if they are not packed and displayed properly! Large decorative items like trays etc. can even be rented for this purpose. Once the packing is complete, often a special function is held where all the trousseau items are displayed for guests to see. This is a moment of great pride for the bride’s family…

Today, trousseau packaging has caught on as a popular profession and is undertaken not just by housewives, but by professional wedding planners, decorators and others as well.  

To avail of our unique trousseau packaging services, drop us a line at mail@secretwardrobe.in or call us at 022-65293067 for more info.

The Awesome Lehenga Saree

Tired of pleating and re-pleating sarees for hours to get that perfect drape? Maybe it’s time to switch to the awesome Lehenga Saree! This elegant and easy to wear garment is basically as gorgeous as an ordinary saree, just without the complication of the pleats… Worn with a choli, the lehenga saree simply has to be tucked in neatly all around to the petticoat, and you’re good to go! This ensemble can also be made to measurement with a zip or hooks at the side for a perfect fit.  Often the saree pleats are replaced with panels of embroidery at the front, giving it a flared look, like a lehenga.

Much like a saree blouse, there are several styles of cholis available to match the lehenga saree. You can experiment with styles like halter neck, spaghetti straps, chinese collar, three-fourth sleeves or a corsette choli. Each style compliments a different body type! 

Today, many brides opt for lehenga sarees for atleast one of their wedding functions. This helps give a different look rather than wearing a traditional saree or chaniya choli. Not to mention, tons of film stars who flaunt these at award functions! Kalki Koechlin’s gorgeous nude coloured lehenga saree (designed by Sabyasachi) was indeed a head turner at the recent Cannes film festival. Many of India’s finest designers use Lehenga sarees as show stopper pieces on the ramp as well.

While the saree is one of the world’s oldest unstitched garments, it is believed that the lehenga choli originated in the Mughal era, when ladies wore it for special occasions. So when exactly did the lehenga saree originate? We don’t really know, but we can only advise you to try one out the next time you get frazzled making those perfect pleats on your saree J You will feel like a diva for sure!

Sarees: A Twist in the Tale...

The saree is the quintessential Indian outfit which symbolizes style and elegance. The silhouette of a sari enhances the beauty of a woman’s body like none other. And believe it or not, there are more than 80 recorded ways to drape a saree!

Today, the saree is undergoing a dramatic transformation - from being the attire of a humble housewife to becoming a symbol of modernity, feminism and sex appeal! Some of India’s most famous designers are adding a twist to the traditional saree, turning it into a garment that can be worn to the beach or to a ball! These fusion style sarees integrate western elements like zippers, broaches, stitched pleats and other elements which make it easy to slip into.

Browse through pictures from the latest fashion extravaganzas and you will get to see gown-style sarees, poncho sarees, kaftan sarees and even bikini sarees! The saree clearly holds its own, and acts as a strong source of innovation. 

For those who are interested in daring to be different, try Ravi Bajaj’s poncho saree, Gaurav Gupta’s gown saree, Wendell Rodricks’ jersey saree, Satya Paul’s trouser saree, Masaba Gupta’s saree with leggings and Shivan-Narresh’s bikini saree.  All of them have one thing in common - they’re easy to wear and maintain and make for amazing fashion statements! Gone are the days when the saree took an hour to wear and was reserved only for traditional occasions. Today, the saree is set to sizzle across the globe in all it’s dazzling avatars!