STYLE, THEY WROTE

This wedding season, turn to iconic literary heroines from across time—instead of unknowable influencers from untraceable corners of the Internet—for your bridal #styleinspo.

- By NIDHI GUPTA

Dear gentlest reader, Congratulations. You've done it. You've waded into the deep end of that cesspool called modern dating—and survived. You've left-swiped on boys you've known since high school and 40-yearolds waking up from a midlife crisis, and right-swiped on matchmakers who'd coo affirmations in your ear. With a bit of astrological alignment and algorithmic voodoo, you've found him (or her, or them). Yes girl, it’s all been worth it.

But now, perhaps you're pulling out those stressed-out tresses because you have an even bigger quandary than who you want to marry—namely, what'll you wear while you're hyphenating your surnames and lives, with your whole world standing witness?

Do you have a Pinterest folder bursting with references for blouse cuts, designer lehengas and diaphanous veils? Are you nearly out of cloud space because your gallery is overflowing with screenshots of your favourite stars awash in Sabya-crimson, GG-blue and Tahiliani-gold? Are you waking up in the morning only to feel the dopamine hit from last night's find dissolve—because in the harsh glare of daylight, you can’t imagine pulling off a tube top and skirt made from your grandmother's wedding sari? (You can, but that’s for another day.)

Maybe your experiments with partner-hunting should’ve been a hint: Social media has its limits when it comes to finding the one, love or look. You know well enough by now that #fashioninspo is a hamster wheel of trends and micro-trends. The algorithm will show you a lot (and more) of whatever cut, silhouette, -core at which your eye lingers. What you're looking for is a bridal style that is timeless, unique, individual. You want looks that'll have your grandchildren oohing and aahing when they see your holograms in 2065. What you really need right now is main character energy.