Bhumi Pednekar wore a cape instead of a dupatta, giving bridal wear a modern twist. "Fashion is something that's very special to me. My fashion choices give me the opportunity to question the status quo," says the actor.
Designer Ritu Kumar unveiled her collection, Threads Of Time: Reimagined, at the India Couture Week with Bhumi Pednekar as her muse.
The 80-year-old designer is often hailed for bringing traditional Indian craftmanship to the forefront through her designs.
"Today, we are a really strong contender for the world of fashion and crafts. In most other countries, this is limited to a museum; here, we are celebrating living craftsmanship," the designer said in a press conference after her show.
Threads Of Time: Reimagined featured bridal wear and Indian wear alongside fusion outfits.
The models dazzled in signature gold embroidery.
The show also featured reds, the colour deeply associated with Indian bridal wear, as well fuchsia, baby blue, yellows and mauve.
The outfits ranged from modern silhouettes to loose, comfortable clothing, displaying the wearability of Ritu Kumar's collection.
The models wore minimal accessories.
The music accompanying their walk also symbolised the embrace between Indian tradition and new modern with tracks like Aik Alif by Saeen Zahoor, Beat Goes On and Christine playing as models sashayed down the ramp.
Bhumi walked the ramp in a golden lehenga, with intricate gold embroidery, to the tune of the Sufi song, Chhap Tilak Sab Chhini Re. She also wore emeralds and bold lips.
In Ritu’s version of the modern bride, her dupatta was replaced with a long, trailing cape.
"It's beautiful, it's rich, it's comfortable and it's just timeless. That's pretty much what my aesthetic is," smiled Bhumi.
"The way I have been involved, my journey, my relationship with fashion is something that's very special to me. It's my form of self-expression.
“My choices give me a lot of strength and courage. They make me feel very brave.
“My fashion choices give me the opportunity to question the status quo and that's one of the biggest reasons I resonate with the brand so much," she added.
Ritu, who was accompanied by her son Amrish Kumar, CEO of the Ritu Kumar label, said she prefers coming up with a collection that has depth than do something that just fast fashion.
"I think Indian textiles have never been bracketed into just bridal. We are a country which has clothed the world with many different varieties of clothes. Part of the reason is that we must contemporise it for tomorrow's world and today's world.
“Bridal is a part of it but it is not the only part of it. Lot of this credit goes to the younger designers," she added.
Photographs curated by Manisha Kotian/Rediff
© 2025