Manish Malhotra all set to work his magic at Times Wedding Fiesta

Whether it’s Sridevi or Alia Bhatt divas of Bollywood across generations have admitted their love for Manish Malhotra’s bridal wear many times in public. In fact tying the knot in a Manish Malhotra lehenga or an anarkali is something most Indian girls would dream of. The master designer however has a simple fashion mantra: “We must keep up with the times and stay contemporary and modern, but it is imperative that we do so without losing our roots or our culture.” And this philosophy is the guiding force behind his latest collection — Wedding Times Fashion Fiesta presented by The Times of India & Bajaj Electronics, supported by Angasutra; Luxury Car Partner — Jaguar Land Rover; Jewellery Partner — Vaibhav Gems N Jewellers; in association with Stanza, Kashish, Kamal Watch Co & Hospitality partner Novotel, Venue Partner Hyderabad International Convention Centre (HICC) — that will be unveiled today in the city. Hyderabad Times caught up with the ace designer ahead of his show to find out what he has in store. Excerpts...

What can Hyderabad look forward to from your show tomorrow...
The designs I am showcasing at Hyderabad are part of my Summer Couture ’17 collection. The styles are very, very, young and contemporary. With a lot of off-shoulders, pallazos, the collection is a fusion of global styles crafted with an Indian aesthetic.
Blending sequin with chikankari, you gave a glamourous twist to the traditional embroidery style of UP with your Mijwan Summer 2017 collection recently. Does chikankari feature in the collection you will unveil in Hyderabad?
Yes, chikankari is a big part of this collection — it’s a result of working with artisans of this unique thread work from Mijwan. But what I’m going to showcase today is completely new and unique when compared to what’s on display in stores of Mumbai and Delhi. Hyderabad is going to see and experience a completely new collection. It’s after all a very, very special city for me...

What makes Hyderabad so special?
It’s always been one of my favourite cities I love the food, I love the people, I love everything about it. When I started my career as a costume designer in 1990s, I visited Hyderabad a lot. Those were the days, when a lot of Hindi films used to be shot in Hyderabad. I remember living around Banjara Hills, I had made quite a lot of friends here. And there was this club called Black Cadillac that we would haunt. And, I remember working with the likes of Chiranjeevi,

Balakrishna

,

Vyjayanti

, and a lot with Sridevi.