By Puja Gupta

New Delhi, Mar 21 (IANSlife): Veteran fashion designer Manish Malhotra showcased his latest couture collection 'Nooraniyat' with Bollywood stars Kiara Advani and Kartik Aryan as the showstoppers for his phygital show at the FDCI x Lakme Fashion Week.

The designer presented a line-up of bridal wears -- dominated by metallics and a lot of blacks and blue. The primary line of inspiration for the collection is from the old world repertoire--the embroidery in particular, says the designer.

For the show, Kiara wore a shimmering silver gown with cut outs and a silver sheer, long shoulder train. While Kartik was dressed in a black, bundgala jacket with three silver reindeers embroidered, teamed with an asymmetric ink kurta and slim pants.

"Everyone knows my fondness for the deft embroidery, the intricate and ornate designs. However, I've given my own take to the collection where it is influenced by contemporary times. I wanted to bring together a new composition that is balanced in its heterogeneous elements. Where everything exists. The collection is developed on the ethos of tradition but influenced by the new world's present. A collection that sits firmly with the pandemic-induced preferences but also relatable to our aesthetics and our loyalists," he tells IANSlife.

The collection also saw a mixture of sumptuous sorbet and blush shades, like vibrant pink with lilac, grey-blue and royal beige-gold. The fabrics used were pure two-toned silks and Dupion silks, gold silks, sheer organzas, lush crepes and tissue fabrics.

There were oversized jackets and colour blocked lehengas, Kalidar kurtas, the diaphanous lehengas, gowns, shararas, kurtas, palazzos, jackets and traditional dupattas.

Women's bridal wear included silver and gold gowns, backless and button less cholis. The designer has used mini capes with gowns, floor-kissing ornate robes, kurtas and kurtis with cropped, flowing pants.

For men's wear, Manish offered a variety of jackets with beaded lapels or silver shawl collars. He teamed the conventional or jodhpuri jackets with kurtas and added discreet, animal motif embroidery for the Sherwanis.

Meanwhile, commenting on the collaboration of two fashion giants -- FDCI and LFW -- Manish says: "As we are gradually progressing towards the shared purpose to strengthen the fashion industry, this joint presentation makes even more sense based on the collaborative spirit and collective growth. What can get better than this?"