Anushree Reddy's MAYA swaps red for powder blue; Sara Arjun debuts on ramp

Designer Anushree Reddy presented her bridal collection MAYA at Lakmé Fashion Week in partnership with the Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI) on Friday, October 16, 2026, at the Taj Palace in New Delhi. The show was staged with Lakmé Salon, whose team created the collection's beauty looks together with the designer. Actor Sara Arjun, 21, closed the show as showstopper in her first runway appearance, wearing a powder-blue bridal gown that set aside the red-and-gold palette most Indian brides still choose. Reports describe the gown as worked with zardozi embroidery, fine threadwork, sequins and glass beads, with a sculpted peplum and a mermaid hem. Speaking to the news agency ANI after the show, Arjun said that none of us is perfect all the time, and credited her hairstylist, make-up artist and stylist for the finished look.

The October edition of Lakmé Fashion Week is its winter-festive show, and bridal collections shown here are aimed at the weddings of the coming months. A bridal designer closing her show with a pale blue gown, rather than red, gives brides a clear signal that colour choices beyond the traditional palette have a place on a major runway.

The collection also shows how hand-craft is being kept at the centre of modern bridal design. Zardozi, a traditional Indian hand embroidery, appears here on a gown shape with a peplum and a mermaid hem. Pairing hand techniques with new silhouettes keeps craft at the centre of the garment while giving younger brides a look that feels current.

The show is also a reminder of how women are building businesses in this field. Reddy runs her own label, and the beauty side of the show was designed as a partnership with a salon brand. According to the reports, the Lakmé Salon team developed three bridal identities with her: a Soft Romantic Bride with diffused blush, glossy lips, braids, soft curls and pearl accessories, and a Timeless Bride with rose-red lips, watercolour blush, long eyeliner and soft waves, among others.

Short-term: Brides planning winter weddings, and the boutiques and stylists who dress them, have a new reference point for pastel bridal wear and coordinated make-up looks.

Long-term: If more designers continue to move away from the red-and-gold rule, bridal wardrobes may widen in colour, while the reliance on hand embroidery keeps demand steady for craft workers.

Who is affected: Brides and their families, bridal designers and boutiques, embroidery artisans, and the many women who work as make-up artists and hairstylists in the wedding trade.

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