How do you solve a problem like bling? How many stones must one woman use before the passage of ten years? Payal Singhal who completed a decade in fashion, seemed to have all the answers as she celebrated the event with Decadence
Payal Singhal, Shyamalu00a0and Bhumika: 1.30 pm
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How do you solve a problem like bling? How many stones must one woman use before the passage of ten years? Payal Singhal who completed a decade in fashion, seemed to have all the answers as she celebrated the event with Decadence. She scoffs at sceptical naysayers, and claims to be "very proud" of her career. "People call my clothes wearable like it's a bad thing,". Which is why the mood was set to Shiny Disco from songster Biddu's hits and '70s tracks. In Decadence, Singhal has used quite a few similar silhouettes that have worked for her in the past. The colour palette ranged from shell pink to grapes, tangerine to aqua with her trademark smattering of stones sequins and Zardosi embroidery. Fabrics remained slinky with silks, crepes, georgettes and tulles.
SHINY DISCO CRAWL Payal Singhal's collection had her trademark
smattering of sequins with slinky fabrics
Shyamal & Bhumika presented Bejewelled, an opulent bridal wear and festive collection. Their show was opened, as musicians Salim and Suleiman walked down the ramp in velvet richly embroidered kurtas. They set the tone for grandiose clothes inspired by the Mughal courts. Kaliddar lehengas, sherwanis, bandhgalas and Jodhpur pants were offset with jewelled necklines and turbans. Fabrics remained rich with velvets, brocade, raw silk, and gold lame.
Raj Shroff: 3 pm
All that the media at Raj Shroff's show heard of was that Alice is lost. The suggestive background tracks reflected the mood, about getting high and wasted. Alice was perhaps, lost in a forest of marijuana. Leafy greens and similar shades dominated as floating, wavy, asymmetrical cuts took over. Peeping out for effect were shades of yellow, orange and blue, in Kalamkari prints and patchwork. Plenty of fabrics were used in layers, in capes, under see-through dresses and in voluminous drapes. The mood, like the songs, changed according to track list; Rastafarian Boho, to acoustic pretty to structure and beats. Cotton dominated in fabrics, making it seem like a wearable collection.
BABES IN THE WOODS Raj Shroff's Ravage lineu00a0 fused Rastafarian Boho
with Indian prints.
Troy Costa: 5 pm
Who else but Helen could stake claim to be Troy's muse -- the face that launched a thousand ships. Costa's Helen of Troy saw a pretty mix of evening gowns, cocktail drapes, tailored suits and shift dresses. Singer Shaan set the tone by launching into the Love Story classic Where Do I Begin. What followed was a collection of eveningwear in aubergine, magenta, azure blue and beige. Sheen fabrics ranging from taffeta and jersey to chiffon, satin and silk swept the runway. Grecian in look and very Diane Kruger-like from the film Troy, models were spotted with loosely tied hair and one- shouldered sleeves.
HELEN, AHOY! Troy Costa's line spelt Grecian from head to toe.
HOLY CROTCH! IT'S DROPPED
Narendra Kumar: 7 pm
"Nari told us to pull our jeans really low. It might have looked sexier with better underwear," admits a male model about Narendra Kumar's instructions for his Killer Jeans show on Day 4 of LFW. A row of bare chested hunks in drop-crotch Jodhpurs and skinny jeans, and in one particular case, with a hint of pubic hair, left nothing to imagination, leaving women in the audience chuckle at the eye candy.
Nari says his range was borne out of the philosophy, "the mind is sexy". We are still trying to figure how bare, lean bodies add up to a 'thinking mind'?
This show continued the Mumbai designer's association with Killer, to present a line of destressed, washed, torn versions of beach shorts, Jodhpurs, regular and skinnies. Inspired by the '80s sport jackets, we saw shirts in contrasting polka dots, honeycomb and abstract prints.
Funny then, that this year's superhit dance track, Tick Tock by Keisha was chosen for showstopper and Bollywood's latest star kid Sonakshi Sinha, to match her steps.
The aspiring designer who eventually went on to take up acting, was seen entering the 5-star venue rather discreetly , through the coffee shop gate, three hours before the show. Dressed in black and white stripes with matching aviators, her sudden weight loss was hard to miss. As was withu00a0 her new-found confidence on the runway.
Dabangg's box office collections are to thank.u00a0
Runway riot for B-Town
Manish Malhotra: 9 pm
"Indian contemporary wear in Aircel colours -- blue and red,"u00a0 said the designer to Bollywood's stars, Manish Malhotra, on an AV before his show. That he took up a sponsored showcase to focus on the Save the Tigers cause is commendable, especially since he belongs to India's most popular Bollywood medium. Why is there a constant reiteration on Bollywood, you'd ask? Because Manish's front row was loaded with a Bollywood pistol. Rani Mukerji, shielded herself between the visibly boisterous Priyanka Chopra and glam-fan Preity Zinta, in the front row, flanked by Sonakshi Sinha, Amisha Patel, Urmila Matondkar, Sameera Reddy, Sophie Chaudhary and Sangeeta Bijlani.
Celeb gazing apart, model Tinu Varghese -- the poised tigress began the show standing amid bare-chested male models. While she pirouetted in sexy ghagra-choli across the ramp, male models threw a strong stare at the audience, their eyes sparkling in colour lenses, like that of a tiger. The sequence of garments that followed were underlined by Manish's signature festive, ethnic wear. A collection that will sell on the fertile ground of Bollywood turnout; the designer has earnedu00a0 a reputation beyond fashion reviews, anyway.
HALL OF FAME
PLAYBACK SINGERS' DAY OFF? Day 4 saw several playback singers
throng LFW. While musician brothers Salim and Suleiman opened for
designers Shyamal & Bhumika, Sunidhi Chauhan closed the show. Later
in the day, it was Shaan's turn to perform at Troy Costa's show.
OH, TO BE IN THE SPOTLIGHT AGAIN! Former TV celebs and veejays
Maria Goretti (BELOW) and Parizaad Kolah (RIGHT) donned the ramp
for Payal Singhal, who styled for the duo, from their days at MTV and
B4U, respectively.
WITH INPUTS BY MALINI BANERJEE Pics/ Rane Ashish
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