What a ₹1,65,000 lehenga actually pays for

Couture prices can feel like a number pulled from the air, so here is roughly how the quote for our maroon dori lehenga at ₹1,65,000 breaks down. The figures move a little with each design, but the proportions hold.

Fabric is about ₹28,000. That covers silk velvet for the blouse, around six metres of dupion for the skirt, cotton-silk lining, can-can for volume and a net dupatta. Embroidery is the largest line, close to ₹92,000, because the skirt carries about 650 hours of dori, sequin and cut-bead work spread across five karigars. We price embroidery by the hour, and the hours are written on your quote.

Cutting, stitching and three fittings come to about ₹24,000. This includes the calico toile for the first fitting, which is thrown away once the shape is right, and the boning and hooks in the blouse. Finishing, which means the zari edge on the dupatta, the latkans, steaming and a padded garment box, is around ₹9,000. The remainder covers insured delivery and our studio costs.

If the number is above your budget, the embroidery line is where to look. Moving dense work from the whole skirt to a deep border can take ₹30,000 to ₹40,000 off without changing the silhouette. Changing the fabric saves far less than people expect, and changing the fit saves nothing at all.