As the Bollywood fraternity was abuzz with the most awaited wedding of the season, the Indian handicrafts industry found a center stage with the couture work featured in the bridal wear. Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor tied the knot earlier this week and the internet was flooded with the ensemble adorned by the bride and groom. Another Sabyasachi bride and groom, uplifting the languishing craft and embroidery of India through their otherworldly wedding ensemble. With the wedding celebrations coming to an end, let’s look at the Indian handicraft terms this star-crossed wedding taught us.
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1. Tilla work
The age-old needlework was featured on Alia Bhatt’s blouse. Tilla embroidery is the heritage needlework on gilded zari. What made the embroidery iconic is the contemporization of the craft with the new age butterfly motif.
2. Marori embroidery
Another embroidery technique from the Indian handicraft industry was featured on the shawl worn by Ranbir Kapoor. The marori embroidery is a part of zardozi work where the zari is manipulated by twisting and coiling and is then couched in the fabric to form the pattern.
3. Tone on tone embroidery
Featured on Ranbir Kapoor’s shawl, the term tone on tone refers to the process of embroidery where the thread is either slightly lighter or darker than the colour of the base material. This style gives a subtle look to any garment.
4. Chikankari
One of the traditional embroidery styles in India, Chikan originated in Lucknow. This is one of the most famous embroidery styles in the country and in this wedding we found this work on Ranbir Kapoor’s sherwani.
The Alia Bhatt And Ranbir Kapoor wedding that made headlines sure taught us some vocabulary from the Indian textile industry. Apart from this, if we decode the entire look of the bride and groom, Alia Bhatt wore an ivory hand-dyed organza saree adorned with Tilla work. She paired it with a handwoven embroidered tissue veil. Ranbir Kapoor wore a silk organza safa (a wedding turban), and an embroidered shawl. Both of them wore Sabyasachi’s heritage jewellery with uncut diamonds, emeralds, and hand-strung pearls.
The Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor wedding was an ode to the Indian craft industry as some of the languishing artforms made it to the limelight. With the wide coverage of this wedding, we can only hope that the attention on the industry also increases.
