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Fashion Wrap, Coast To Coast

By LIFS August 10, 2006 at 10:19 AM

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There was a time when Indian American brides had to journey to India to get the haute couture fashions of top designers, but now the designers are coming to the brides. Payal Singhal, the hot young designer has just opened a lifestyle store in Manhattan showcasing her hip translations of traditional Indian wear. The Mumbai-born designer studied at the Parsons School of Design and also worked with MTV as a stylist.

Designed by J J Valaya

So instead of traveling to her flagship store in Mumbai, buyers can pick up the latest collections in Gramercy Park. She has collaborated with Salima and Karima Popatia of Indomix, a boutique in Nolita. Singhal moved to New York two years ago and concluded there was a market for her interpretation of bridal wear.

The second generation will likely relate to Singhal's fashions, because she reinterprets traditional wear in a funky vocabulary of mermaid skirts, rouched pants, ponchos and tube tops, all in Indian colors and fabrics. The collections includes bridal, contemporary and formal wear, often with a twist: the traditional sari is transformed into a pre-draped six yards wrap, and buyers get a hands-on experience with swatches and sketches, embroidery samples and fittings.

Designed by Payal Singh

Out on the West coast too, couture wear is getting a showcase. JJ Valaya, the designer of fabulous bridal and high fashion wear, was looking to start a flagship store in California and has collaborated with his cousin Maninder Kaur to create Heritage Boutique in Dublin, Calif.. It carries his luxurious designs from Valaya Studio and House of Valaya as well as home furnishings from Valaya Home. Heritage Boutique also carries the line of another noted Indian designer, Ritu Beri, whose clients have included the Clintons and Nicole Kidman.

With its mix of couture and prêt-a-porter, Heritage prices can range from $200 to $5000, and include Valaya's new label Quantum, recently introduced at Fashion Week. So whether you're hankering for tapestries set with Swarovski crystals or the ultimate wedding lengha, you can now shop till you drop right here in the U.S. of A!

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