Your wedding lehenga is likely going to be that once-in-a-lifetime purchase. But that doesn’t mean you have to wear it just once in your life. With so much talks around sustainability and repurposing of clothes it is important to know the versatility with our occasion wear creations. “If you ask me, couture can never be bought, it is a piece of investment that you can wear for years to come,” says ace fashion designer Nivedita Saboo of Nivedita Pret & Couture.
She says the symbolic and sentimental weightage and value your wedding outfit comes with, your bridal garment most definitely should be an exception to that rule. And what can better to make the most of your extravagant wedding attire, than rewearing and restyling it.
Mix and match your blouse
Start from the top. Take the blouse apart — wear it in different ways. One of the easiest and most impactful ways to style a blouse with time-honoured work is with a plain chiffon saree in a complementing colour or a tulle one in a contrasting shade. A heavily embroidered blouse can also be paired with a classic drape like a Kanjeevaram silk or a beautiful Upada or Dhakai saree.
Wear it with accessories
The coming together of timeless crafts like zardozi, pearls, resham, sequins and crystals with a traditional Indian weave will bring an interesting new twist to the original look. You can also hit refresh with your choice of accessories. Team the blouse with a string of pearls or dainty jewellery for a unique look. You can take it to Indian festivals, formal dinners or smaller occasions, where just the blouse is dressy, and the rest of the look is dressed down.
Pair it with palazzo pants or skirts
If it’s a sleeveless, strappy blouse or a bustier, wear it under an open jacket with a pair of high waisted pants. In fact, any kind of corseted blouse can be matched with palazzo pants or a modest skirt. This makes for a very eye-catching silhouette and a stylized version of your traditional embroidered blouse or bustier.
Wear lehenga with different shirts
There’s a lot of room to play with your bridal lehenga skirt. Wear it with a classic white shirt or a solid-coloured satin shirt for a pared-down look. If you don’t mind going a more modern route, team it up with a plain corset. This will look very chic, lightweight, and well styled. Take this lowkey look to a home occasion or a friend’s destination wedding ceremony. Accessorise with one statement piece or simple earring studs.
Lehenga and jackets
You can also wear the lehenga skirt with a plain, ankle length jacket. Although it will cover most of the skirt, it will exude a western feel to the otherwise traditional look. Therefore, it can be worn without a dupatta—perfect for events where you want to go hands-free. At the House of Nivedita, we present a range of versatile, statement-making capes, which can be layered over a tube to reduce the embroidered skirt’s intensity.
Transform your dupatta with kurtas
The last but very versatile piece of a bridal lehenga is the dupatta. It can be styled in so many ways. First and foremost, drape the dupatta itself in a unique fashion to make it look like a double drape or as a beautiful cover-up to a plainer Indian or diffusion outfit. You can convert it into a cape or transform it into a poncho to wear over a pair of trousers. One of my favourites is to drape a dupatta like a saree. If it’s a very heavy dupatta, complement it with a plain anarkali or a straight chikankari kurta. For a glitzy, glam outcome, style it with a corset and pants.
