Shehnaai Couture & Events

Shehnaai  invites you to join us over chocolates and champagne while you preview COUTURE ‘2011 at and exclusive private viewing.

From the couture trends at the recently held fashion week in Mumbai, designers on display include Sabyasachi Mukherjee, Vikram Phadnis, Abhi Singh, Rajdeep Ranawat, Bhanuni by Jyoti Sharma, Private Collection, Prriya and Chintan, Saa and She, Amber and Shirrin, Sapana Amin and Zene by Priya and Farzeen.

Scheduled to be held in the first week of April ‘2011, please contact info@shehnaaiusa.com/ 917 519 5456 for details on time and venue

This is a private viewing; Entry by invite only.

As little girls we all dressed up,

And walked around in Mommy’s stuff,

Now that we’ve grown…

 Well ‘dressing’ up has so many details attached to it, it could take pages to fill out what we fancy, what we don’t and just how special we want to look on our wedding day. I’m sure even the most ‘subdued’ bride to be agrees with us on this, you just have to look special when you say ‘I Do’.

 We at Shehnaai are here to help you achieve that goal, and a lot more. The wedding season is almost upon us, yes, spring will finally grace us and all the ‘soon to be married’ couples are juggling schedules. Work commitments,  appointments with photographers, caterers, designer meetings and so on. It is indeed overwhelming. But amidst all this chaos, take a breather and enjoy the one function that it all begins with…” The Bridal Shower”. Every girl deserves to be showered with not only gifts, but just those special moments, when her friends and family throw this party in her honor. At times it is a surprise, but when you know the date do keep some time to plan an exceptional outfit for this event. Although it isn’t one of the main functions, it is the one that will hold very special memories.You will also have your most  fun and relaxed photographs to remember it by.

 Tip to the bride’s family and friends: plan the shower with care. The bride will be touched, just at your thought and effort, but make this a memorable event for her. There are several interesting ideas for themes to work with, make sure all gifts are signed and invite guests to write a few sentences for the couple. It may not be read on that day in all the frenzy, but these gestures will definitely be treasured later on.

 To all our special girls: It pays to stress on the dress! On this note we invite you to visit our studio this spring, for the latest in trends and styles form our renowned designers.

Shehnaai couture on how to plan your wedding trousseau…

Your wedding isn’t just for one day, as we all know, more than the actual ceremony there are a zillion pre and post functions, dinners and other occasions. Now of course, you as the bride have to be dressed to perfection. The expectations can create a lot of stress, but we are here to help you live up to the expectations and have a great time doing so.

PLAN well in advance, this is always taken for granted, but it truly helps. Pick on trends that are classic and fun, create a ’trousseau’ folder of pictures you come across that you have liked. When you look back at these pictures, it can inspire you to pick a certain color or style of outfit for a function. Another advantage of planning is budget. You can shop during deals/ discounts and save on a lot of unnecessary last minute spending. 

You can go about this the fun way, make a list of functions you will need outfits for, browse yours, your mum’s and your sister’s closets to see what can be re furbished. You will be surprised at how fashionably vintage a look you can create with maybe a gorgeous old sari or a long forgotten dress that looks just perfect now. If you don’t find anything you like, well switch to shopping mode!

 You can get a few outfits custom made and look for off the rack styles on some. Always be on the lookout for accessories at the same time, it is these extra touches that add the zing to your look. Once you have your trousseau outfits thought off and in process you can concentrate more on the main bridal ensemble.

Last but definitely not the least, do not overdo hair and make-up, but do put some thought into it. Vary the looks in a subtle way. Once again, do not go overboard because you don’t want to steal your own thunder, leave the special touches for D-day.

So go ahead and treat yourself special, after all, the occasions are in your honor. Technically they are held in the groom’s honor too, but then again the men are usually not into details.  Well, we girls can take care of it, why else would we be called the ‘better halves”

Today we dedicate our blog space not to the bride, but to the girls who help make her day so special-the bridesmaids!

We keep fussing and fretting over the brides wedding ensemble, which of course is completely justified, because it is a special day and the bride and groom are indeed the first couple of the evening. However, have you ever looked back at your friends wedding albums and seen yourself in a highly unattractive bridesmaids’ dress and wondered “what were we thinking?”

So, while the bride does have to be the star amongst all the girls, which that ‘I’m getting married glow’ takes care of anyways, it truly does not mean that her bridal posse has to dress in costume-y, floral arrangement colors. In fact, few of the best wedding pictures are that of the bride and her girls, which calls for a little more effort in seeing to it that the girls are understated yet stylish, don’t you think? It will, on the brides part be a thoughtful gesture and go a long way in bringing out those sparkling smiles on D-day.

The bridesmaids give so much time and effort to make sure the wedding day is perfect for you, the least you can do is make them feel pretty and special too.

So here are some quick tips;
Do not go literal with color. Peachy pinks, leafy greens and rose reds don’t have to make up the palette, they are NOT part of the decor. Go for colors that compliment your bridal ensemble and the decor. Accordingly go soft or deep on the hues.
Keep in mind the girls body types when styling. Not all of them will be the same, so alter it slightly,to flatter individual body types.
Visualize the colors with your outfit and have a mock photo shoot if need be.
If its an indian wedding, alternating colors is also a fun idea. If as the bride you are in ivory and red, and you have say eight girls making up your party, do four girls in gold and four girls in pink. Its creative and makes for fun pictures.

So plan well, and you will not only make your bridal party happy but also have some creative and memorable pictures to look back on.

On this note:

Here come the bridesmaids’… all you best men and eligible bachelors can put on your charming best!

Plan well in advance to pull off a perfect wedding. Go high on style while staying within your budget:

Most of us have Spring/ Summer weddings planned, and while we are all excited about it, we tend to do more talking and less ‘actual work’ until much later. There’s always something to do, the initial high on setting a date and showing off the ring is still fresh, and for those of us on the east coast, well it’s too darn cold!

It’s easy to procrastinate: there is time…and it can wait a few more weeks’ right? But these few weeks might cost you a lot of money. You might end up spending more and not be entirely happy because you chose in a rush; all that time just seems to slip through the fingers before you know it. So keep your eye on the “The early bird prize”. Yes it is up for grabs if you plan sensibly.

Firstly make a list of all the things that need you to bounce ideas and consult friends and family, like theme, décor, bridal shower etc. Invite the closest few over for an evening of trading fun ideas over dinner and write them all down. In this case more heads are better than one; you will be surprised at how many fun suggestions come up. Shortlist your favorite ideas and then start the most exciting and often the most confusing – wardrobe planning! Every couple wants to look their very best, and that involves ensembles, hair and make-up. In short several trial and error sessions before you arrive on the look you envisioned yourself in.

Once you have your ideas on paper start the research. Set up meetings with decorators, photographers, make-up artists and visit the stores and meet with designer/ stylist to discuss looks. Impress on everyone the fact that you are giving them so much time to work with because you wish to avail of whatever discounts they can pass on to you. Several stores have off-season deals; request them to pass on some percentage for your custom bridal outfit. More often than not, they will be happy to oblige. Besides, since the vendors aren’t too rushed, you can negotiate better deals out of them. So what are you waiting for, start working now and close to D-Day you will have plenty time on hand for the much needed spa day with the girls.

An exclusive on Menswear by Shehnaai:

With all the fretting and fussing over the bride’s wedding outfits, we do tend to sideline the grooms, just a tad bit, don’t we? Well most of them aren’t complaining too much, after all shopping is best left to the girls. But it is a special occasion, and the bride AND groom have to look their spectacular best.
Here’s a little something for the Grooms-to-be:
Men can’t experiment too much with silhouette and embroidery, because in Menswear, classic always looks the best. However there are elements of the ensemble one can play around with to make it look unconventional and elegant at the same time. A subtle shift in color and texture is usually what works best.

Move just a little away from the beiges to a coffee tone or a textured ivory, play with deep shades like navy, burgundy and charcoal grays. Add a dash of a vivid color: a bright red accent on the stole, printed silk lining, its just a hint but goes a long way in adding that extra edge. Texture like pintucks, pleating and stitch detail along with embroidery looks very nice as compared to just adding a lot of embroidery to make the outfit look heavy. DO NOT ignore the accessories. A great outfit with a dated red and gold turban and any footwear you could get your hands on won’t do the trick. The devil is after all in the details.
So all you grooms, take active interest in your complete look, keep it minimalistic, edgy and stylish and your bride won’t be the one stealing the show:) well not entirely at least!

Most of us go great lengths to plan our weddings in the months of spring, summer or fall. It is a given, weddings have to be in good weather. And it does have its advantages, we women especially, can dress as we please without having to care about how cold it will be, and layering, and all that jazz. But for those of you, who do wish to plan a winter wedding, go right ahead…you can make it truly special. Read on for some helpful tips and style advice.

Firstly, you can negotiate the best of deals, right from the venue, catering, décor and place settings…it is off season after all, so here’s a big plus in your favor to start off with. Yes, you can start thinking of all the fun stuff and exotic honeymoon locales you can plan with the money saved.

Now that everyone is pleased with the discounts, you can go ahead and put in those little extras to make sure your guests remember how special it was. Make sure you have adequate parking, and if possible spring for valet service so none of the guests have to walk, even a little bit in the cold. Plan the catering accordingly, warm cider, tea and coffee beverages go a long way in spreading warmth, and what’s more, if your wedding is anywhere around the festive season, you have everyone celebrating with you.

Last but definitely not the least…the wedding outfits! There are several ways to style ethnic ensembles in an elegant yet slightly ‘covered’ way. Besides that, you can play with the most gorgeous deep hues of reds, purple, burgundy, jeweled tones and gold. Team a sari or lehenga with hand crafted shawls in complimentary shades. Go with longer sleeve lengths for kurtas, tunics and yes even sari blouses. For those who like to experiment a little, team a custom woven silk or brocade jacket with your sari or lehenga. It will create a statement and you will have a ‘warm’ smile on your face throughout. We at Shehnaai have picked our favorites, from recent designer collections at the winter fashion week to give you a ‘dekho’ into what we are talking about. So take a look and dare to be different, plan a winter wedding…imagine the beautiful outdoor shots your photographer will capture of the bridal couple.

Shehnaai styles for actor/ musician Samrat Chakrabarti.

London born celebrity Samrat Chakrabarti recently attended the prestigious Mahindra Indo-American arts council festival where they screened two of his films Ashes and The Waiting City at the SVA theatre in New York. Samrat, whose roots are from Kolkata, India has starred in various films alongside veteran actors as well as appeared in American television shows like Law and Order and The Sopranos. He is also an acclaimed musician. He prefers to keep his Indian name because he believes in the celebration of diversity, and true to his exotic Indian roots, he recently chose Shehnaai to style his look for various public appearances.

For Samrat, Shehnaai selected a chic, fusion look to compliment his youthful, ruggedness. He wore a deep chocolate brown jacket with antique gold accents for the Sikh festival and a beige woven sherwani jacket with antique gold and maroon accents, teamed with a stole draped casually across for the MIAAC function. He voiced his pleasure on the styling by Shehnaai on Twitter, so here’s to many more such glittering events. Shehnaai raises a toast to Samrat.

As the festive week of Diwali draws near, we at Shehnaai would like to share our warm wishes this season, and ‘course some inside tips on what’s hot by way of party outfits, so that we can all celebrate with style.

 The weather here on the east coast isn’t getting any warmer, but we can bring in the warmth, with colors! Vibrant reds, pinks and yellows add a distinct element of sparkle to your ensemble.

 You can pick from a range of styles and colors this season, go dramatic with flared paneled kurta’s, elegant with fitted short kurtas and well cut sherwani styles or just simply classic with sarees teamed with modish blouses. A varied palette of burgundy,  yellow, rust orange, cobalt, red and emerald with a light dusting of pastels like old rose and coral combined with the classic neutral beige, grays and ivory gives you the option to play with colors and style. Think bold…make a statement either with your color, or with accents, a piece of chunky jewelry, accessories, whatever you do make sure you say it with style and we promise you the fireworks display won’t be the only attraction at the party

 We have put together a couple of our designer fave’s for festive ensembles, for those of  you who have left your shopping to last minute, or just simply feel like shopping more come view our collection at the Shehnaai studio in NY.

 Let the festivities begin!

We at Shehnaai handpick exclusive designer wear from couture designers in India and bring it to you here in New York. Not only that, we bring in the latest collections every season, and offer select pieces at unbelievable discounts. This is our way of saying “Thank-you” to you our dear clients, for your loyalty and for your trust in us to make you look special on your wedding day. We promise to do our best to make  your bridal shopping a cherished experience , and with our recently launched bridal soiree and registry we have already started planning for you.

The weekend of October 15th and 16th, we present to you all our designer wear from couturists Prriya & Chintan, Amber Shirrin, SaanShe, Private Collection, Zene, Sapana Amin, Neeta Bhargava, Prastuti and others  at upto 70% off.  Entire collections ranging from bridal wear, evening wear,  menswear and jewellery at mark downs, along with 15% special discount even on custom orders.

We speak from experience when we say, RSVP and come in quickly, because bargains like this don’t last too long. Write in to shirin@shehnaaiusa.com to confirm your attendance. We look forward to seeing you there and promise many more exciting events to come, but hurry…the mark-downs are on this weekend only!