AmbarEla has a chic way to address those sudden summer rains

Nothing ruins your perfectly styled outfit like an unexpected summer downpour. After all, evening showers have now become a regular forecast in the city. Luckily, AmbarEla has a chic way of addressing the problem. Featuring fine lace and ruffles, every umbrella on this two-year-old Mumbai-based brand’s Instagram page has a well-pronounced Victorian influence. “Umbrellas are something that you cannot do without, especially when you belong to a city like Mumbai,” says Anu Bhagnari, with a laugh. Unveiling her latest collection titled Signature, the line is a marriage of Anu’s love for florals and lace with a trusty all-weather umbrella.
 

Flowers and stripes
Keeping away from the commonplace printed designs, all of the products on sale under the label are handmade and use a variety of embellishments like beads and surface designs like polka dots and stripes. “I’ve come to notice that umbrellas are an accessory that you tend to hide away. AmbarEla was created as a way to bridge the gap between fashion and functionality— an umbrella as a stylish accessory that you can flaunt,” she shares. Sticking to a purely European palate for her hues, the graduate from Sophia Polytechnic College prefers the use of dark vintage colours like blue, purple, black and maroon. “Since the collection follows classic vintage looks, the use of shades that are inspired from the ’50s and ’60s elicit 
a strong sense of nostalgia.” 

Dressed to frill
With roses being the 41-year-old designer’s go-to floral, the Signature collection extensively makes use of frills and hand-stitched roses in its design, we learn. Handcrafted over a period of three days, each piece is a limited edition, with the most elaborate designs belonging to the Bridal Collection and features three-layered intricate lace fretwork and frills—the designer’s favourite.

Rs 3,500 onwards.