Dress like a Bollywood bride

Bipasha Basu for Anjalee and Arjun Kapoor

Purists may complain, but no Indian fashion week is complete without a healthy dose of Bollywood. And things were no different at the recently concluded India Bridal Fashion Week 2012 in Mumbai, where couturiers from JJ Valaya to Tarun Tahiliani ensured their collections were made memorable with the presence of a famous showstopper.

Making a million single men happy, Bipasha Basu walked the ramp in a richly embroidered lehenga for designer duo Anjalee and Arjun Kapoor. Soft waves, soft smokey eyes and a bejwelled maang tikka completed her transformation from bold to bashful. Nargis Fakhri's multi-layered velvet and brocade outfit, designed by JJ Valaya, proved that in the right garment, you can steal the spotlight even when covered from head to toe.

Chitrangada for Tarun Tahiliani

Newlyweds Esha Deol and Bharat Takhtani chose to make their first joint appearance on the ramp for Azva jewellery, reliving their recent monsoon wedding.
 Esha Deol for Azva Jewellery

Sonakshi Sinha for Jyotsna Tiwari

Sonakshi Sinha, already a pro at portraying the feisty desi belle, played to her strengths in a rani pink and vermillion lehenga by Jyotsna Tiwari, worn with a gold and ruby cummerbund. Soha Ali Khan, rumoured to be engaged to actor beau Kunal Khemu, was the perfect muse for Vikram Phadnis.
 

Malaika Arora Khan for Mandira Wirk

Sarah Jane Dias for Falguni and Shane Peacock

Zarine Khan for Falguni and Shane Peacock

Soha Ali Khan for Vikram Phadnis

Nargis Fakhri for JJ Valaya

Feathers, power shoulders and fishtail lehengas added a rockstar element to Falguni and Shane Peacock’s show, where actresses Sarah Jane Dias and Zarine Khan teamed up on the ramp. Mandira Wirk’s bridal line, an interpretation of the big white wedding, had Malaika Arora Khan in a figure-flattering princess gown that emphasised the former model's toned shoulders.

Tarun Tahiliani also favoured tones of white and dressed his showstopper Chitrangada in an ivory-coloured bridal ensemble that complemented the actress’s dusky skin tone. The tiny choli was balanced by a navel-obscuring ghagra, a clever tip for brides looking to draw attention to a narrow waistline. While Nargis Fakhri got bathed in the season's favourite shade -- dark cherry red -- courtesy JJ Valaya at the Grand Finale on Monday night.