Long before Pinterest moodboards and viral bridal trends, Aishwarya Rai’s dreamy lavender-blue lehenga from Dil Ka Rishta had already become the ultimate bridal fashion inspiration. Now, fashion designer Neeta Lulla has revealed how the iconic couture look was carefully crafted with custom-dyed hues, handcrafted embroidery and specially designed jewellery, turning it into one of the most recreated lehenga aesthetics of all time. (Also read: AI transforms Madhuri, Aishwarya and other ’90s heroines into young avatars; fans call Juhi Chawla ‘the most beautiful’ )
Neeta Lulla revisits Aishwarya Rai’s iconic lehenga look from Dil Ka Rishta
Sharing the video on Instagram on May 7, Neeta wrote, “The lavender blue lehenga that launched a ‘Thousand Recreations’. When Aishwarya Rai wore this dreamy look in the late 90s in the movie ‘Dil ka Rishta’ it instantly turned into one of the most recreated lehenga inspirations of all time.”
She further added, “From soft lavender and blue pastel tones to the flowy silhouette and delicate detailing, women are still recreating this iconic aesthetic decades later. From the custom-dyed hues to the handcrafted silver embroidery, every detail was meticulously created by artisans in the workshop. Even the jewellery was specially designed to complement the dreamy silhouette, making the entire look a timeless piece of couture history. It wasn’t just an iconic lehenga, it became a bridal moodboard before Pinterest even existed.”
How the lavender-blue lehenga was created
In the video, the designer also revealed the intricate process behind creating the now-iconic outfit. Explaining the design details, Neeta said, “It was a lehenga choli made in organza, but the blouse was different. We had incorporated the kurti structure to the front of the blouse so it had a kind of slit in the centre. It looked very sensuous and still had the effect of a modest kurti.”
Talking about the embroidery and colour palette, she shared, “The embroidery on it was done with light water sequins of self colour, light blue colour and very, very light silver to create the entire impact on the lehenga. This colour became very popular with my clothes on Aishwarya because she really loved the colour and it went beautifully with her eyes.”
Handcrafted jewellery and Indo-Western fusion
Neeta also revealed that the jewellery was specially handcrafted in her atelier to complement the dreamy look. “A unit of mine that handcrafted jewellery sat in my atelier and created the choker, the earrings, the maang tikka, the bracelets and some of the bangles. To this jewellery piece, we incorporated stones, Swarovski crystals and blue crystal beads to create an Indo-Western fusion of sorts,” she said.
Describing the overall aesthetic of the outfit, the designer added, “Because the look was not completely traditional, nor was it completely westernised. So, I would say it was a contemporary look and that look, kind of, you know the rest of it, it’s history.”
