Designer Tarun Tahiliani's Spring collections in stores

One of the country's seminal designers of bridal and ready-to-wear luxury launched his S/S 2021 collection, Timelessness on Instagram via a virtual fashion show. Presenting patrons with a light yet exquisite collection the focus remained on quality.

Maintaining lightness and concentrating on the ease of wear for brides on their special day, he has found ways to work with traditional and modern techniques to create veritable pieces of art in motion.

Speaking on the collection, Tarun says, "Persian jaali in monuments has always been of great inspiration to me and I love to find ways to incorporate it in my design work.

This season I have used laser-cut jaalis in 3-4 tones on light silk, accentuated with kasab and kundan and the use of precisely cut gota, not only to ensure the sumptuousness of these techniques but also to maintain lightness in the final garment."

While the global pandemic forced the world to pause in 2020, it gave Tarun the time to sit back and revisit techniques that he has employed for a long time in his work and come up with more advanced application methods to artisanal crafts such as ari, kashida, kasab, chikankari and others.

Tahiliani's collection reflects the endlessness of a marriage celebration and the immutability of sharing the moment with those one loves most dearly.

With the change in focus – for the foreseeable future, at least –from large weddings to more intimate set-ups with a handful of guests, every bride is now focusing on the quality of what she will wear and how comfortable she will be so that she can let loose and truly enjoy her own special day. The lockdown has freed people in a way such that allows them to be truly themselves.

The Bespoke Bridal Collection

With the easing of restrictions and a year of staying indoor, the weddings of 2021 will be all about colour, brightness and sunny outdoors. Using playful pastels and metallics and reds, the latest the line-up features hand-embroidered pieces.

While the traditional red lehengas have a fine tulle base with silks and bandhani adorned with the use of kundan with handloom textures in intricate Banarasi brocades.

Using a unique fusion of ari and kasab and chikan on signature, hand-painted prints, there is an infusion of handlooms such as Chanderi squares and stripes as well as unique Kanjivaram weaves along with bandhini.

Moving beyond the use of Swarovski crystals, in the latest collection, Tarun experiments with greater use of gota, kundan and dull metallics and thread-work to bring a soft, fluffiness and drama to each of the pieces.