Before I start the post, let me give you a summary. My roka anarkali suit was desgined by Mansi Gupta, who runs her label Regalya out of a store at Hotel Le Meridian in New Delhi. Her latest Spring Summer collection of formal and semi-formal Indian outfits will be on display at the following 2 exhibitions:

• 11 July, 2012 - 10 am to 8 pm - Mahila Mangal Exhibition - Stall 61, Hotel Ashoka
• 17 July, 2012 - 10 am to 8 pm - Ankur Exhibition - Stall C5, Hotel Ashoka

Keep reading to find out how I found out about her store, and why I think she’s a great designer.

I had my roka ceremony in December 2011. For the uninitiated, it’s an informal engagement ceremony. We decided on the date 3 weeks prior to the roka. That meant I had 3 weeks to find a suitable anarkali. I knew I wanted to wear an anarkali, because a normal style suit would be exactly that - just normal.

And so started the search almost every evening after office - from M-Block Market (GK-1) to South Extension stores. This was also the time I discovered Kapil & Mmonika (I’ve spoken about them in a previous post). By the end of 1 week, I was tired of looking everywhere and finding nothing. Since it’s a small ceremony, I didn’t want anything heavy. However, I couldn’t find anything appropriate. I had almost given up. I had seen one anarkali at Kapil & Mmonika, and although it wasn’t ideal, I was just about ready to buy it. You know, that syndrome of buying anything you like even a little just because you’re too tired to look around anymore.

Then, as they say, I struck gold. My sister-in-law told me about a desginer - Mansi Gupta. Since she came highly recommended, my mother and I went to check out her store. We’re usually not into buying things from desginers, or even getting them stitched. We prefer our clothes ready-made - just pick it off a shelf, and if it fits you and suits you just the way it is - take it. We don’t make the effort to visualise and figure out how we can get something custom-made. But since we were running out of both time and luck, we decided to give Mansi’s store a shot.

Mansi Gupta’s label Regalya is displayed at her store in Hotel Le Meridian (Janpath). She did a fantastic job with my anarkali suit. We picked out parts we liked from 2-3 different suits, and she put it together beautifully. What I like most is her sense of personal style. It’s very similar to mine (or maybe that’s what good desginers convince you of). She also does not do very heavy work that involves that dreaded chamki (bling). With her, you can trust that the suit will most definitely not turn out like a shiny disco ball, and will turn out classy. She very patiently listens to what you want out of your suit - over the 2 weeks leading up to the roka, my mother and I must have spent a good 5 hours with her figuring out the suit. On the first visit, we spent 3 hours figuring out the design. The next time, we spent 2 hours making alterations to ensure the suit was exactly what we were looking for.

Mansi designs formal and semi-formal suits. She also does light lehengas on request (she’s probably doing my Sangeet lehenga). She has an extensive collection of Indian wear that will be on display at an upcoming exhibiton - on 11th & 17th July 2012 at Hotel Ashoka. I’ll most definitely be heading over to her exhibition this week, and if you’re getting married soon, I suggest you also check out her collection! You’ll get some unique pieces for your trousseau, I’m quite confident.

Update: Mansi also designed my sister’s and sister-in-law’s anarkalis that they wore on my Sangeet, and my SIL’s anarkali that she wore on my Reception.

For more Trousseau Destination posts, head here.

Tags: anarkali, exhibition, formal suit, Hotel Ashoka, Indian suit, Indian wear, Le meridian, Mansi Gupta, Regalya, roka, semi-formal suit, Trousseau Destination