
On this season’s biggest trend…
Gloss is the look of the season—it’s a classic, and even though it keeps coming back, the execution is always different. Also, it works really well with an Indian skin tone and with Indo-Western ensembles. The Indian ensemble is all about glittering and making some noise, so gloss complements that really well. Even internationally, if the au naturel look is in, it doesn’t really work with the Indian skin tone, which ranges from olive to darker shades, which is why you have to accentuate your features, and that is where gloss comes in. It can take any look to the next level and with durga pooja, Diwali and the party season on the horizon—I think gloss is here to stay.

On the glossy versus matte bride…
While matte has been around for a while, it’s now taking a back seat while gloss is the new beauty trend eclipsing the runway. Also, most of the brides are opting for very daring ensembles—like sexy cholis and cut-work—so it kind of goes with that international look. Even if you look at Indian Couture Week—with Anju Modi and Monisha Jaising, it’s the gloss that is ruling their ramps.
Anju Modi—Lakmé Fashion Week, Winter/Festive 2014

On the three qualities of the quintessential modern bride…
I think she’s very confident and she’s not scared to wear black on her big day. Traditionally in India, black is associated with mourning but if you look at Monisha Jainsing’s finale look—Lisa Haydon who was the showstopper wore a leather skirt with kaliras which was a very daring look. Even Varun Bahl went with a lot of black in anarkalis and separates, so I think the new-age bride is confident, subversive, daring—she has a mind of her own, and is even opting for colours like powder blue and pink instead of the usual reds and pinks. Also she’s very flexible. She wants to have fun at her wedding, so she’s a lot like Deepika Padukone from Ram Leela—if you look at her Anju Modi lehenga, you’ll see she’s dancing, even though it’s heavy, it allows for a lot of movement and functionality.
Anju Modi—Lakmé Fashion Week, Winter/Festive 2014

On gloss as an everyday trend…
Gloss before noon is a major faux-pas, I think you should try and use it after sunset or at a sundowner. It works best at night.
Krishna Mehta, Lakmé Fashion Week, Winter/Festive, 2014.
Written by Nazneen Joshi on 22nd Aug 2014