When Shelley Chhabra an Electrical Engineer and business analyst decided to try her hand in fashion design to explore her creative side,  she had no idea that everything would fall so quickly in place and that her collection would be part of Yolanda’s. global collection Yolanda's the Bridal and Bridesmaids Boutiques in Waltham, MA has been helping brides create their dream wedding since 1967.

 Shelley presented her 18 piece collection in  a fashion show organized in Waltham on January 19,2006. “Many women spend thousands of dollars going back to India to shop for their dress and they squeeze all their shopping into 10 days" said Chhabra. “There are other small pockets of Indian shopping in the U.S., but the selection is cookie cutter and costumey. The gowns I’m showing are not traditional.  They are made to appease the needs of brides today, with a new modern, fresh look.” 

For Yolanda’s adding Shelley Chhabra’s collection to their boutique made a lot of sense. “We are going global. We carry Greek, French and Italian made gowns. It makes sense to add an Indian collection to our boutique”

Are these collections only for Indian brides? “Not at all. We hope that through this partnership we can bring Indian fashions to people outside the Indian community" said Chhabra.  The woman in white is bringing Indian bridal attire into the mainstream.  Chhabra has fused Indian and American traditions in her collection of ornate saris, halters, A-line and full skirt lehengas. Each selection can be custom fit.

Shelley lives with her husband in Cambridge, MA. Shelley’s in-laws are owners of Chhabra stores in India that has been providing bridalwear in India for over three generations.   What does her father-in-law think of his daughter-in-law’s new venture? “I am delighted that she decided to take this up. I moved away from the family business when I joined IIT and did a degree in Engineering and later moved to the US.  I feel good that the family tradition is continuing in the United States.

To learn more about Shelly Chhabra's collection please visit

www.Shelleychhabra.com or http://www.yolandas.com.



PS:  Shelley is no longer associated with Yolanda's since 2006 - 6/3/08.

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