Manish Malhotra is known for his Midas touch; whatever he touches turns into gold! And 2023 has just been that. The master of couture and costume designer set the red carpet for his craft, adorned by Bollywood’s favourite stars, and won hearts in the process.
Bollywood loves Manish Malhotra, and vice versa! You cannot deny the fact that if Shah Rukh Khan is the Badshah of Bollywood, Manish Malhotra is the Czar of Couture. I can’t imagine a red carpet or a fashion extravaganza without a Manish Malhotra opulent showstopper ensemble.
Every Manish Malhotra muse walking down the red carpet or the aisle is like a blockbuster movie, where there is drama in the drapes, romance in the colour palette, and a cinematic canvas of craftsmanship. As the curtains of 2023 fall, here’s looking back at the iconic designs created by the maestro couturier and brought to life by the stars of Bollywood.
Kiara Advani and Sidharth Malhotra
2023 had love written all over it for Manish Malhotra. Power couple Kiara Advani and Sidharth Malhotra captured their love in surreal Manish Malhotra ensembles for their wedding. The ombre lehenga in hues of empress rose of Kiara’s ensemble beautifully complemented the old-world regal charm of Sidharth metallic gold sherwani. The pastel palettes, handcrafted with Manish’s signature sparkle, made it one of the best wedding ensembles of 2023. The magic Manish brings to bridal wear is not just opulent but also resonates with the bride and groom’s journey of love. For instance, Kiara’s lehenga featured intricate embroidery detailing of Roman architecture, inspired by the special love the newlyweds shared for the city of domes.
Not just the wedding, Manish Malhotra also designed Kiara’s and Sidharth’s mehendi, sangeet and reception looks, making it the perfect mood board for future brides and grooms. Be it Kiara’s reception look—the monochrome haute couture sculptural gown with a fish-cut train or the extravagant sangeet gold lehenga that took 4000 hours to craft and featured 98,000 sparkling Swarovskis—each ensemble set the tone for the wedding season.
Ananya Panday and Aditya Roy Kapur
Manish Malhotra knows what Bollywood fans want! And bringing the two big stars—Ananya Panday and Aditya Roy Kapur—together to celebrate one year of his bridge to luxury line Diffuse was a big hit. In March 2023, Ananya and Aditya turned showstoppers for Manish at the grand finale of Lakme Fashion Week x FDCI. The alleged couple, who have been pretty ‘coy’ about their relationship status, looked stunning in the ensembles. Ananya looked sexy in a hand-embroidered scoop-neck heart gown, and Aditya looked dapper in a black fitted suit from Diffuse Level 2. One got to see a quirky, fun and cool side of Manish Malhotra when he created Diffuse.
Janhvi Kapoor
Janhvi Kapoor has been Manish Malhotra’s forever muse! In June 2023, Manish Malhotra represented India at one of the UK’s most acclaimed charity fundraising events, the Animal Ball 2023. Accompanying him at this grand event, was actor Janhvi Kapoor, who looked glorious in an antique gold cut-out gown embellished with sparkling detailing. She paired her glamorous and dramatic look with the Maharaja Mask, created by Manish Malhotra. Inspired by the majestic Indian lion, the mask was framed by ethically sourced feathers and topaz crystals. Over the years, Janhvi’s love for Manish’s craft has only grown stronger. From ethereal sarees to lehengas, every Janhvi occasion is incomplete without a Manish Malhotra statement piece.
Alia Bhatt
Winning hearts on and off screen this year, Manish Malhotra and Alia Bhatt together have been creating magic. In July, Manish Malhotra’s Bridal Couture Show, had the stunning Alia Bhatt and charismatic Ranveer Singh turn muses to celebrate Manish and his craft. The highlight of this show was the barely there plunge-heart blouse, which became an overnight sensation. Bringing a regal element of glamour to the runway, Alia looked surreal in a lush grey velvet lehenga, illustrated with meticulous high-shine silver nakshi hand embroidery and delicate pearls.
From the aesthetic ensemble whispering tales of refined craftsmanship to creating ‘Rani’ sarees in Rocky aur Rani kii Prem Kahaani, Manish’s creative vision is a masterclass. The best part of creating the iconic sarees adorned by Alia in the film and during promotions was that the sarees were later made available for purchase to the public and 100 per cent of the proceeds from the sale went towards the preventive and promotive healthcare of vulnerable women and children through SNEHA Ngo.
The signature MM saree is an epitome of grace and elegance and has been a favourite among Bollywood divas. However, this first ever collaboration between an actress and a designer, comes from a space of their shared beliefs of women empowerment and individuality.
Kriti Sanon
A moment of pride and what better way than to celebrate it with Indian handloom. Manish Malhotra has always been a supporter of Indian crafts and every piece he designs celebrates India in its contemporary form. This year saw Kriti Sanon winning the National Award for Best Actress for her performance in Mimi. Kriti looked divine in Manish Malhotra’s ivory chanderi handloom saree featuring tender pink, aqua and soft mint dupion pleats, creating a harmonious tapestry of colour. She paired the saree with a high neck blouse adorned with matching embroidery.
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