Shantanu & Nikhil unveil the Gothic bride on the ramp

New Delhi, Aug 11 (PTI) Without any Bollywood celebrity in attendance, designer duo Shantanu and Nikhil, known for their soft, romantic designs, today unveiled the Gothic bride on the ramp on day 4 of the PCJ Delhi Couture Week. With scattered chairs piled up to the ceiling in the background, haunting music, the designers created the right ambiance to present the new age bride in their couture collection tilled 'She is the One'. "We are known to have romanticism in our designs but this time we decided to try something different. This collection gives a Gothic feel, which is harsh. "Our designs represent the woman of today, who has deeply inspired not only us but the world in all, with her power to withstand the extreme surroundings that constantly put her down. Her avatar as the new age bride is complete as a woman who believes that she has the courage to rule," Shantanu said. The models sashayed down the ramp in lehengas, skirts, sarees, long coats with metallic embellishments. The materials used were silk, French lace, nets and brocade appliqued on the clothes. A lot of metal was used in the garments as well as to accessorize the models. The clothes were gaudy and the heaviest of all weighed 15 kg. The collection had colour palettes of vintage tones of burnt blues with a strong element of gold and finally a dose of black and red. The garments were cringed on the waist and then fell down freely. "All these colours are clear indicators of her personality that has been tarnished and scrapped by the current socio economic conditions of the world that we live in. "The textures, the surfaces and the silhouettes are somewhat harsh like depictive of how we as a community are treating women," Nikhil said. When asked if black was the appropriate colour to chose for a bridal collection, Shantanu said, "Indian weddings have become very elaborate and liberal now. It is a five function event. Now-a-days there are even theme weddings, so I don't think that black is not a wedding colour. May be not on the main day but it could be used for a cocktail or a bachelorette party," Shantanu added. Sarod player Amjad Ali Khan and sons Ayan and Amaan graced the front row, along with model-actress Anupama Verma and Mukul Dev.