Indian weddings always see the bride stealing the show, thanks to their ornate bridal attire. However, with some really big weddings happening this year, celebs have given men major fashion goals! New-age grooms such as Ranveer Singh, Anand Ahuja and Akash Ambani have ditched the traditional ivory, off-white and black, for much brighter hues like red, orange, pink and purple, thus changing the fashion trend this wedding season.
“These colours were always a part of the bride’s wardrobe. However, for some time now we do see that men are experimenting with them too,” explains Anju Modi, a well known fashion and costume designer.
Sonam Kapoor with her husband Anand Ahuja
She goes on to say, “The definition of “manly colours” is changing in society. Many designers are now experimenting with brighter hues and people are more open to them. In fact, the colours of the brides and grooms also depend on the wedding décor. If the decor has light colours like white or yellow, they are going with apparel in darker shade.”
Akash Ambani and Shloka Mehta
However, not everyone can carry off every colour. Emphasising on the need to choose the right colours, celebrity designer Nachiket Barve says, “There were years that men wore only ivory and off-white. Now men also want to play fashionable and that’s why such colours can be seen everywhere in the market.”
Nachiket sounds a word of caution in avoiding looking too matching and choosing the same colour as the bride. “It’s all about contrast and complimenting each other. You first need to know your skin tone and what shade works on you and your personality. Another point to consider here is to balance the bright colours with softer hues. And at the same time, it should not look like the groom is wearing the fabric leftover from the bride’s lehenga, it should look like a custom-made piece for the dulha. So the trick here is to subtly include the colours in your outfit you can wear a hot pink or red safa or pocket square. You can have the same colour as the bride’s in your buttons or piping,” he suggests.
There are, according to Nachiket, some tricky colours. “Colours like purple, that Akash Ambani wore is a tricky colour. If you don’t match it with the right, toned down accessories it can look very loud. Also, since purple is a very bold colour, the colour of bride’s lehenga needs to be equally bright.”
Adding to the accessories theme, celeb stylist Meghana Alluri says, “The couple needs to complement each other. The brides are generally decked-up with jewellery. So, it’s important that the groom doesn’t go overboard. What you can do is wear a kalgi on your safa, it will give you a royal look. You can also go for studded three to four layer pearl necklace which doesn’t have huge pendants. Another accessory that many neglect is the juti. In fact, you can wear an ivory or cream sherwani or gala bandh, with red or maroon safa with kalgi, and match it with your footwear.”
Fashion blogger Meenakshi Pamnani also emphasises the use of accessories. However, she also points out that wearing the same colour head to toe can be a fashion faux pas. “It’s not just about the colour but also about the personality. So if you are going for a red, pink or orange sherwani or kurta, be sure to match it properly with colours like beige or white. Other interesting colours to try this wedding season is dull golden or wine. They bring in the bling in the outfit and but are subtle at the same time. You can wear a Modi jacket or juti or even take a dushala of that colour,” she concludes.
