Heavy Zardozi Bridal Lehenga with Choli and Dupatta

This gorgeous piece of ensemble for a fair-complexioned beautiful bride of good height, a set of lehenga, choli and dupatta – essentially a bridal costume, is a magnificent example of how a simple length of textile, not necessarily an expensive yarn, might be transformed into a majestic wear for the most special occasion in a maiden’s life, her wedding. Apart that it has been crafted from pure chiffon, an expensive textile, the set obtains its rare beauty and exclusivity from its brilliant art worked heavily with various classes of zari to include gold and silver threads, sequins, different styles of spangles – some quite large with a tent-like raised centres, metal and glass beads, zircons, cut-stones in different colours – the diamond-cut as also cut en cabochon …

Quite paradoxically, while elegant and lustrous chiffon, especially when dyed in a sensuous colour like red – the colour of passionate love and of marriage-like auspicious occasions under various Indian traditions, immensely adds by its wavy lustrous texture to the beauty of an artistically worked ensemble, it has miraculous strength to bear with myriads of needle-pricks and hold the weight and volume of such heavy material as has been used in crafting this set. Chiffon, a light weight fibre, slippery in nature and delicate in texture, is a real challenge to hands seeking to work on it, and that too with such heavy material as this set. Besides the most suitable dye that doubles and re-doubles the lustre even of a tiny sequin, the designer Suman Kumar has used for crafting this set the finest kind of chiffon length woven from fine but strong silk yarn that endows it with both strength and beauty.

Consisting of three components, lehenga, choli and dupatta, all three embellished with alike heavy zardozi, except the field part of the dupatta which has scattered over it design-motifs : the large size round flowers and Paisleys consisting mainly of conically cut coloured glasses for leaves and petals, a large mirror for pistil or Paisleys’ centre, coloured beads for edges, zircons, sequins and different zari-threads … for defining various parts, the set is essentially a bridal costume. As the marriage itself : an ages’ old ethnic life-mode that rituals sanctified and society sanctioned abounding in contemporary cult of splendour and resplendence, sometimes beyond an individual’s affordability, this costume, a traditional or rather ethnic wear, seeks to revolutionize by transforming it into the most glamorous majestic costume. The dupatta’s wider ends and edges of the longer sides have been embellished using a common design-pattern, though the wider ends have an additional course of conventionalised flower-vine motif and a large size flower atop the Paisley motif. All four corners of the dupatta inside the framed space have been magnificently adorned with a large conventionalised butah.

Obviously the set’s main component, lehenga has a large variety of design-motifs, some of them being freely rendered not having a uniform pattern or system. Its bottom has been moulded convexly. The hem’s edge has the same design-pattern as has the dupatta on the ends of its breadth. Above it there is a densely laid course of the repeats of a large design-motif which comprises the central motif of the butah used for manipulating the four corners of the dupatta. It consists mainly of Paisley with a pair of leaf-motives attached to its bottom part, another pair of larger leaves with golden flowers over it on both sides and a rounded flower in the centre, flanking on either side, and a burst of balloon-like spray of flowers atop. The entire length above it has been worked with a large variety of design-motifs not uniformly rendered. They include plants, leaves, flowers, Paisleys … but, except by some remote links, refrain from using an animal form or a motif suggestive of an animal. The tinier versions of these very motifs have been used for embroidering the choli covering it in full, the front and the back.

This description by Prof. P.C. Jain and Dr Daljeet. Prof. Jain specializes on the aesthetics of ancient Indian literature. Dr Daljeet is the chief curator of the Visual Arts Gallery at the National Museum of India, New Delhi. They have both collaborated on numerous books on Indian art and culture.

The suit will fit UPTO the following sizes:
12.0" Shoulders
36" Bust
Sleeve Length 3.5"
Waist 42.0"

Primary Color Pantone 19-1761 TPX - Tango Red