A heartfelt note from Eshaani Jayaswal says it all. The young designer whose label turns 13 this year, shares with us the overwhelming feeling on seeing the first shot of her bridal edit getting clicked. Almost like a film, with her in the director’s chair. Surreal. This is Eshaani’s first proper bridal collection which has taken a year to make. “I think I was ready because a lot of people were coming to me for bridal lehngas,” says Eshaani. The edit comprises lehngas for “all kinds of brides”. “Each lehnga has a different story. We have done a small research with people, asking them about what kind of a lehnga would they want to wear in terms of the colours, textures and silhouettes. How women think in their 20s and 30s is drastically different (from when they are older),” says Eshaani.
She has played around with colours and styling of the veil. Sauraseni Maitra, her muse, wears subtle make-up and “artistic” jewellery. “We shot a few pieces with open hair. It’s not like you have to have your hair in a bun. The concept is when you are doing a puja, a ritual, your head should be covered. The veil can be anywhere. People should not think there’s only one way to drape.”
The lehngas have different kinds of embroidery, with Eshaani’s signature essence of romance and fairy tale. “All the pieces are lightweight and the only weight it possibly has is of the cancan. The veil too has no weight. Most veils weigh so much that the brides get a headache. We have stuck to what we do best, which is applique and we have used different interpretations. Indian brides want to reuse their lehngas,” she says.
The matching accessories are eye-catching and all the designs can be customised too. The Telegraph lookbook.
Eshaani has drawn inspiration from Downton Abbey for The Debutante Lehnga, which has georgette applique with French knots. The corset blouse makes for a striking pair. “The blouse is in keeping with a modern bride in mind,” says Eshaani.
The Lady Mary Lehnga is gorgeous in all its pristine beauty. “Off-white is personally my favourite colour. It’s Alia Bhatt’s wedding that inspired me to make this. White is a colour of purity. The colour should work for you and it is more important than other aspects of looking at things. There is a jaal of flowers beneath with applique on top,” says Eshaani.
The Kamal Lehnga is a cute shade. “A lot of girls don’t want to wear a red lehnga. They want to wear pink, but not fluorescent pink. This lehnga has a tinge of red in it. Under different lighting, it looks different. When I started working, I used to work with lotus applique saris that I used to make on chiffon. People loved the motif of a lotus, traditional and dainty. I also used to make Benarasi fabric applique. I took inspiration from kimkhwab. This lehnga has nine-10 colours including the base colour and we have used French knots, threadwork and added a touch of gold,” says Eshaani.
The Lady Iris Lehnga with tulle and floral applique has a canvas feel. Pretty and elegant.
This frame looks straight out of a Karan Johar movie poster. The romantic and quintessential red comes alive in The Lady Anne Lehnga. “This embroidery is inspired from frescoes and we have tried it for the first time. The 3D flowers are inspired from jewellery as if you are wearing pieces of jewellery on the lehnga,” says Eshaani.
Pictures: Pabitra Das
Styling: Sumit Sinha
Draped by: Dolly Jain
Hair and make-up: Prasenjit Biswas and Mousami Chhetri
Conceptualisation: Sandeep Sarkar and Eshaani Jayaswal
Jewellery: Badalia Gems Jewellers and Bhuramal Rajmal Surana Johuree
