Quite contrary to the traditional lehengas that weigh a ton, Athiya’s lehenga was feather-light. This was actuated with the lightweight tonal Swarovski embellishments that had to be sourced from Austria to complement the yellow color

The shade of the lehenga was a custom yellow that could not be pulled out of a contour or a shade card. Colour experts devised the shade from a twenty-shade swatch and dyed the fabric to achieve the exact tint for the mehendi outfit

The artisans sat on the piece for almost 18 months in Hardoi to weave Athiya’s dream project into reality. To complete the look, Anjul designed two Chikan duppattas: one based on ‘Jaal’ work and the second on border work

The choice of pastels in Athiya’s wardrobe to her jewellery was a well-orchestrated saga crafted by the fingers of women. Not only did it provide agency to women artisans in Awadh, but also celebrated the intricacies that a woman endows in her pursuit

Anjul Bhandari is a couture label based out of New Delhi, that specializes and focuses on
working with craftsmen of Chikankari and Mukaish from the Awadh region. She is a self-taught artist who designed couture for over 10 years before finally launching her eponymous label in 2010