Fusion is big this wedding season

It’s wedding season in Mumbai and designer Archana Kochchar is caught up in a swirl of activity.

She’s happily creating designs at her Juhu store for brides (and for grooms, take heart — men, but only on order) that are a fusion of Indo-Western fashion lines this time. And, within most couples’ budgets.

Her muse is the slim and pretty actress Amrita Rao on whom Archana’s first outfit, a haldi-hued lehenga choli, looked royal and radiant. “It’s beautiful,” murmured the actress as the designer darted around her, pulling here, tugging there, to check the fit. Archana, incidentally, has designed all of Amrita’s bridal ensembles for her television series The Perfect Bride.

Talking about the wedding look this season, the designer said, “Fusion is ‘in’ and brides want to experiment with a western sensibility but yet have a traditional drape. So, I’ve designed lehengas with corset-inspired cholis, multi-coloured sarees in net and Lama fabric with the pallu going right through a brooch-like motif on the blouse, gowns with a veil and more.”

What about the groom? “A customised look to complement the dulha-dulhan’s ensemble!”