Mallaikaa Chheda’s guide to a fireproof wedding wardrobe

Mallaika Chhabra has been navigating the industry since she was 16—a claim very few in the fashion circuit can actually make. Now at 26, the fashion stylist and Shop Zibano founder has a decade of technical know-how that shows in her clinical approach to wedding guest dressing. From Jamnagar to Georgia, Chhabra knows the ins and outs of making a look survive a baraat. Here, she breaks down why she prioritises young labels over heritage giants and the exact tools she keeps in her kit to stay wedding-ready.

Wed count: “I attended about 10 this season. It took me from abroad to anywhere and everywhere in India. Jamnagar was the most recent, before that there was Jodhpur and Udaipur, Singapore for a cruise and Georgia for a cocktail. There are so many weddings these days and they have multiple functions now. Even a pre-wedding event ends up feeling like a wedding!”

Wedding guest style: “My wedding guest style will always be a colour that has not been chosen before. Recently, I went to Jamnagar, and I did this olive-coloured outfit by Shloka Khayalani, which made waves on the gram. The designer converted more than six clients with that outfit. It was a very unusual colour, but it was also a day colour. I ended up wearing it at night because that's how I like styling my pieces. The embroidery and the fit were perfect, and it went with the temple background because I went to Jamnagar for a temple wedding.”'

The vibe: “My vibe is certainly comfort plus fashion. I like standing out, wearing statement pieces. I'm not someone who'll do regular outfits ever. You'll always see me in something statement, either jewellery or an outfit or both. Recently, for a jungle-themed afterparty, people went for animal prints like zebra stripes or leopard spots. But I went for a ruffled red dress. The highlight was that I took the jungle theme so seriously and made a horse cuff. Horses are one of my favourite animals ever. I made a cuff, which again went viral on Instagram, and a lot of people ordered it through me. It's a custom piece that I do under my brand, Shop Zibano.”

On the dress code: “I do enjoy dress codes because that means challenging my inner stylist. I like following themes, especially because then for me, it'll be like, how can I go with this theme and still look different from the rest of the guests? I think the perks of being a fashion stylist also include studying colours in life, so I know exactly what I'm doing with blending and mixing different designers and outfits.”

Favourite designers: “I've worn the Manishs, Falgunis and Tarun Tahilianis of the world. As a stylist, I do end up going to these stores with my brides because they end up choosing these. But personally, I love supporting younger, newer designers or designers that are well known in the city but not across the country. I like going for designers who, after I wear them, people start appreciating them, and it opens up eyes for a bigger audience. I love Shloka Khayalani. Then there's Ankita Bajaj's label; she does custom pieces but also sticks to timelines. I have also recently worn brands like Label Monique, which also did really well. Personally, I love supporting younger, newer designers or designers that are well known in the city but not across the country.”

Destination wedding hack: “Make a to-do list so that you don't overpack and keep one or two backup outfits. One of my outfits tore during the barat because someone stepped on it. Another got burnt because of those fire guns. I immediately changed because I had carried a backup. Another tip: please be comfortable with your footwear. Invest in a good pair. Keep a neutral pair between gold and silver, which goes with almost all the outfits. For destination weddings, go for artificial jewellery brands; carrying real jewellery is a pain to take care of.”

Fail-safe styling trick: “I go for lighter outfits so that I can wear heavier jewellery. A lot of times for destination weddings, I go for lighter silhouettes. The blouse might be embroidered, and the skirt will be fully plain, or it will be a printed outfit completely, and with that, I go for heavier jewellery. I love layering. I like silhouettes that can be heavily accessorised so that I don't have to carry like 10 kg of lehenga everywhere.”

In the bag: “I carry a Tide pen, always. If not for me, then for all the clumsy people around me who are drinking and wearing light-coloured outfits. Also, I know it's designer fashion to have those small bags, but for the afterparties, I end up carrying comfortable slings that have my battery pack in them, a lipstick on the go, and a small perfume. I like collecting miniatures for this very reason.”

Next wedding: “I am planning my brother's engagement and wedding at the moment. Hopefully, his wedding will also be in the UAE in the coming year, and I plan to explore a lot of different designers for the same.”