In the footsteps of Paul, Mani and Harry, here's a bit of predicting. This season's brides will choose to dab a smack of red on their lips, and perhaps pick a wedding ensemble that they can deconstruct and put together piece-by-piece, Lego style. Shweta Shiware brings you the hottest trends in bridal wear and make-up from the ongoing Delhi Couture Week

The trend
Gold sheathed all-purpose jacket

The designer
JJ Valaya
His trousseau collections are a hit with deep-pocketed North Indian brides and their mummyjis. Loaded Delhi aunties name-dropping Valaya at 5-stars luncheons is as much a part of Dilli's culture as gorging on kebabs at Kareem's. Valaya's indulgence with opulence led to the birth of what he called the Alika Jacket. The interpretation is loosely based on the Sadri -- a cross between a shirt and a jacket -- which can be worn with a lahenga, over jeans, or even on a dress.u00a0

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The intention is in place; to create a classic piece like the Hermes Kelly bag, Chanel's tweed jacket or Gucci loafer -- something that will evolve into an iconic design. All he needs now is a stylish propagator. Our choice: Priyanka Gandhi-Vadhera.u00a0

Who it's meant for: The Alika jacket worn with dark indigo denims, could come in handy while rushing for a pre-engagement dinner at a swish restaurant.

Hair and make-up: Throw your tweasers in the bin. Dark, thick eyebrows draw attention on an otherwise fuss-free make-up look.

Showstopper moment

IN THe Kingdom of JJ Valaya (that's what he calls the virtual world of his fashion shows), frangipani and tulips bloom larger-than-life, and outfits scream deja vu. Off-white saris sprinkled with Swarovski, fishtail lahengas, achkans and sherwanis -- we've seen it all. Bollywood actor Kangna Ranaut carrying a God-knows-how-many-kilo red lahenga, failed to make an impression either.

The trend
Brides dressed in ash, float likes lotuses

The designer
Rohit Bal
He has already established himself as the master of fabric and fantasy, and there's little he can do to harm his reputation. Bal rattled his own rule book dictated by extreme black and whites, to willingly lead himself to a middle path -- in Khakastari (Persian for the 'colour of ash'). Its steel-cold quality illuminated by Swarovski crystals appealed to the simplicity and purity of textures that he worked with.

That Rohit Bal pulled off a breathtaking show is an understatement.
Fifty metres of bleached runway ran parallel to a pool which the last batch
of models, parading all white ensembles, stepped into. The vision akin to
blooming lotuses upsetting still waters, was original.u00a0 Bal joining them was
atypical of the maverick

Indigenous Jodhpur pants were teamed with Western jackets

Bandgalas and sherwanis worn over dhoti pants and Jodhpurs should appeal to the modern groom. Fantasy met folklore in womenswear options, with blouses, saris, jackets and lahengas celebrating the grandeur of bold embroidery, and opulent, but structured cuts.

Who it's meant for: Fluidity of wedding gowns sliced with exaggerated shoulders and necklines will have serious appeal for Carrie Bradshaw followers.u00a0

Hair and make-up: Lightly tousled hair held up in a bun, and nude lips kept the focus on goth eye make-up.

The trend
Off-shoulder cholis and red lips

The designer
Manish Malhotra
The underdog team that went ahead to lift the FIFA title this year, Spain's stylish flamboyance in brazen colours and simple cuts found a willing taker in Manish Malhotra. Shades of reds, blues and purples embraced gypsy-style gowns, saris, lahengas and kurtas crafted in velvet, georgette, chiffon and net. For men, he presented fitted jackets in varying lengths, bandgalas and sherwanis in pitch black, with Victorian collars and blood red piping at once reminding us of a Twilight inspiration.u00a0u00a0

Malhotra can keep Bollywood away from his sanctimonious fashion shows, but he can't escape the oomph quotient of sexy skin show. Cholis and blouses fell off the shoulders, letting the much-earned tan get its due in the spotlight.u00a0u00a0

Who it's meant for: Widely popular with the entire baraat, Malhotra's clothes have universal appeal. His off-shoulder cholis suit the resort wedding bride.

Hair and make-up: Keep the make-up nude, and draw attention to your lips by choosing a scarlet lip tint. Keep your hair casually tossed down your bronzed shoulders -- that's what beachside wedding dreams are made of.

The trend
1970s conservative chiffon elegance

The designer
Pallavi Jaikishan
The grandmother of Indian couture insists on following her own idea of couture; trusted sheer saris highlighted with bands of embroidery, teamed with cholis with scooped-out necklines, and tunics worn over pencil pants.

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Light-as-souffle dupattas trimmed with lace hungu00a0 languidly over cholis worn over adorned lahengas. It was a connect with the way women in Bombay dressed in the lavish 1970s.

Who it's meant for: A bride who's breezily self-assured about her elation about finding a soul-mate. The chiffon and georgette saris with contrasting sequin and embroidery in shades of pink and orange, trimmed with matt gold borders continue to be favourite with close relatives of the bride and groom.

Make-up and hair: Blush your cheeks in fresh coral pink, keep the eyebrows dark, and the lips bright. Tie your hair back into a retro French knot, embellished with jewelled hair clips.u00a0
Pics/Subhash Barolia and Shazid Chauhan

The trend
Warrior corsets and fishtail ghagras

The designer
Anamika Khanna
While her contemporaries showcased comfortably established styles and colours, Anamika Khanna went back to the basics, making couture appealing even to the non-wedding enthusiastic shopper. The outfits carried warrior-like sharpness, replete with hard-earned textures like appliqu ufffd and patchwork besides embroidery and beadwork. A corset created from dull sequins accentuating the shoulders, was an instant reminder of an armour shield. Scallops in every possible size, and fishtail styles on long and short jackets dominated the Kolkata veteran's collection once again, with a few schizophrenic pieces like the net jumpsuit-cut lahenga choli worn over a black singlet and tights, and the poncho that turned into a blouse worn over a lahenga.

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Who it's meant for: For that passionately individualistic bride's sister, who understands the importance of a traditional wedding but doesn't want to give up her right to party.

Hair and make-up: Keep your hair perched high on your head into a bun. Pick nude shades for your lips, and slate grey and midnight blue for smoky eyes. Wear false eyelashes for drama.

The trend
Bridal dress you can pull apart, piece by piece

The designer
Sabyasachi Mukherjee
The endless runway bathed in brick red block-printed fabric was given decadent company by antique clocks clamouring for space with family portraits on a wide wall. A lone garden bench stood under hanging lamps. Sabyasachi Mukherjee's set waited for nostalgia to unfold. A story was waiting to be told.

Sabya presented light versions of the weighty lahenga, in sheer fabrics

With movie clips from Deepa Mehta's Water and Mira Nair's Kamasutra playing in the backdrop, Mukherjee's show titled, Aparajito (the invincible) resurrected the heroic traditional crafts of India but not without exhibiting modern inventiveness. And so, the cumbersome weighty lahenga was infused with a light-hearted spirit by crafting sheer, transparent versions. It's length was cut short to skirt the ankle, leaving enough room for sturdy, embroidered wide pants worn underneath, to indulge in exhibitionism. With this, he allows the bride to deconstruct her ensemble once the big day is over, and sport the lahenga as a skirt, and the wide pants as pallazos.

Mukherjee focussed his attention on khadi to create an occasion-worthy lahenga -- a must for every bride whose heart belongs to Hindustan.

Who it's meant for:u00a0 The original idea of the lahenga worn over wide pants is for the bride who is unafraid to make a statement on her wedding day.

Hair and make-up: Hair tied in a loose plait, face dotted with tiny bindis and the nose punched with studs on either side, can seem a tad simple for a wedding celebration. But the avant garde bride should go for it.

The trend
Stone and crystal encrusted cholis

The designer
Manav Gangwani
FIFA 2010 catapulted Paul, the soothsayer Octopus, to saintly stature, and now we have a reason to believe his tentacle personality has inspired designers too. Gangwani injected oomph into boring blouses by crafting tentacle-inspired, elaborate necklines. That his collection was ruthlessly lavish is an understatement. He celebrated the decadent spirit of Indian couture with complex decorations of precious stones and crystal-u00a0 embellished gowns, saris, lahengas and blouses. We liked the range of red carpet gowns in nude, sprinkled with crystals.

Who it's meant for: The saris embellished with emeralds are going to be a sure hit with proud mothers of the bride and groom.

Hair and make-up: The lips should be left bare, with just a touch of transparent gloss. The eye make-up goes elaborate. Keep your hair pulled back from your face.

The trend
Sari-gowns that you simply slip into

The designer
Gaurav Gupta
The costume of ancient India just doesn't seem to stop inspiring creative minds. Not when Gupta is on the drawing board, thinking up new ways to present the tried-and-tested sari drape.

He married Western gowns with the sari drape, crowning it with modernity. A feast of fresh ideas unleashed on sari-gowns that he calls a "hybrid concoction" (instead of draping the sari, you simply slip it on), with fabric tassels and metal chains replacing the worn-out idea of the pallu. We loved the idea of the pallu jutting out from inside the blouse.

Who it's meant for: The soft, forgiving drapes are a great choice for a bride to sport at her cocktail party. Sensual enough to make heads turn.

Hair and make-up: With faces outlined with off-white shimmer, and hair tied back in a slick bun, Gupta suggests you keep the focus on your clothes.