'I am a comfort dresser'

Floral inspiration

She always had an obsession for designer clothes and thoroughly enjoyed flaunting them as she was growing up. But little did she know that she would become a designer herself.

An alumni of London School of Economics, Anushree Reddy, has a serious love for fashion and has become a name to reckon with. Her cognomen label, with a wide range of bridal wear, is analogous with vivacious colours, glamour, and easy-to-wear garments.

The designer recalls her first step into the industry, “I loved clothes. But never thought of designing them myself. It was during my stint as a fashion editor in a lifestyle magazine that I found my calling and decided to give it a try with no plan B in mind.”

Her plan A got out the best in her. With a ‘very feminine’ design philosophy, her clothes thrive on drama and grandeur. With colours moving away from the overused maroon and reds, her bridal collection has an influence of vintage florals with salmon pink rose and it has been used graciously in her designs.

This designer takes inspiration from the culturally rich city of Hyderabad. “The city inspired me as it has an ocean of history and culture. ‘Zardozi’ forms a major part of my embroidery and it has its roots in Hyderabad. In complete contrast to this, I have also been inspired by the vintage Victorian era as a result of which you can see a lot of old floral prints in my designs,” she says. Her designs also inculcate intricate lace work. She also uses net and flowing materials like chiffon in her bridal wear. There is no dearth of flora in her designs and she blends them with the typical Hyderabadi workmanship.

With an opinion that “core inspiration of a designer always manages to find a way and become a part of the design story,” she adds, “I have kept my inspiration of florals and nature as constants. Even the use of beautiful ‘zardozdi’ is something that I have kept intact. However, I reinvent this each time I present it.”

She also opines that the bridal wear has undergone a drastic change in the last couple of years. “Unconventional colours and embroidery have come into play and in my opinion, the current trend for bridal wear is the perfect pastel ‘lehenga’ in ivory, peaches, and pink, handcrafted to perfection,” she says.

She stepped into the industry in 2010, but has carved a niche for herself among the best of the designers. Her creative hands have worked on perfecting the look of stars including Nargis Fakhri and Illeana D Cruz and she says, “They are great to work with as they carry off clothes very well. I look forward to dressing Aishwarya Rai Bachchan.”

However, what pains her about the industry is the “design replication”. She adds, “There are many incompetent designers who thrive on copying work, which is a growing concern. The best way to stay ahead is to keep coming up with strong new collections at frequent intervals.” Nevertheless, she says her experience in the industry has been wonderful and goes on to describe her styles as, “very relaxed and laid-back. I am a comfort dresser for my everyday look at work. However, I like going all out and complete contrast for a night out or a wedding.”