Shantanu & Nikhil bring 'The Mahal' on IBFW ramp

Designer duo Shantanu and Nikhil Mehra showcased the beauty of their journey to Jodhpur through their collection "The Mahal" at the ongoing BMW India Bridal Fashion Week here.

"We love travelling. Every season, there is some reference to our travels. It's almost like I was an architect in my previous life. We are hugely inspired by the construction (done) by men... buildings and pillars. Mehrangarh Fort is such a spectacle.

"We have taken reference of the Sheesh Mahal and put them on our clothes and the silhouette is also inspired by the shapes of Mahal which is more angular and geometric and you realise that the design details that they went through was based on mathematics... very intelligent designs," Nikhil told IANS here on Monday.

The colour palette of the collection was also taken from the fort, inside the Sheesh Mahal and chariots that they used to travel from A to B and "how interestingly the usage of gold on top of red would display the power of the king and queen".

There were gowns with angular cuts, crop tops with lehenga and leather bodice strapping with gowns too in colours like chocolate, beige, teal blue and rich red with gold. Dupattas were also wrapped up in a unique way. One of the models wore it around the neck and also used the other part of it as a sleeve.

The menswear was equally interesting. Inspired by the fort, the printed bandhgalas with fitted pants or churidar could be the next sought after wedding outfit for men.

While the clothes were undoubtedly the "real stars", the accessories also caught attention of many. Instead of jewellery, the designer duo creatively used headgear to match the outfits. Even the footwear with gold detailing and cluthes looked majestic.

Though their loyal Bollywood clients missed the Monday show, former cricketer Murali Kartik and BJP leader Anurag Thakur were spotted enjoying it.