Lakme Fashion Week

If you'd wear au00a0kurta on the beach

Payal Singhal
At: 3 pm



Payal Singhal's 3 pm show was an afternoon outing for the Kolhapure family; Padmini with daughter Shradha and sister Tejaswini (lovingly referred to as Piloo) and friend Poonam Dhillon.
In sharp contradiction to the rest of the gang, Shradha who made her Bollywood debut with Ambika Hinduja's Teen Patti, was refreshingly underdressed white pinstripe pants, waistcoat, spectacles and red lips adding a shot of mischief.
When the show was over, Poonam and Padmini quickly jumped on to the ramp for a photo-op, coaxing a very reluctant Shradha to join.
Payal Singhal has been in the industry for a decade now. Comfortable, body-flattering silhouettes teamed with sparkling rhinestones adding the right amount of glam appeal to the runway.
Her's was a collection for the super-rich who just have to jazz up for that resort-themed wedding at the Maldives.
Else, the inclusion of Kalidar tulle kurtas with crystal encrusted yokes wouldn't have found place here. What also looked out of place was the choice of showstopper.
VJ-singer Anusha Dandekar (above), and sisters Apeksha and Shibani (they form a music band called D Band) walked out like high-on-sugar spring dolls.

Christopher Kane
At: 5 pm



Controlled madness surrounded the much anticipated Lakme Studio presents: Christopher Kane & Anthony Mascolo TIGI Catwalk show.
The main event was thankfully devoid of chaos. Even Slumdog Millionaire actress Freida Pinto, dressed in a nude Kane design and seated in a rehearsed pose, didn't manage to create much of an upheaval.
It's ironic that the lady-of-the-moment hasn't made any Indian fashion week outing or showed interest in the desi designer frat.
So, it wasn't Freida but the voluminous hairdos resembling a bird's nest that added drama to Christopher Kane's showing featuring tailored pieces in gray, black and tartan playing pee-ka-boo with light and shadow, from his A/W 2009 line-up.
A 2-minute break had the world's most talked of hairdresser Anthony Mascolo take stage to discuss his concept.
But we were seriously distracted by the B:Blunt gang Audhuna Akhtar, brother Osh and stylist Avan Contractor. Sitting with Blackberrys on video mode, the brother-sister hairstylist team filmed Mascolo. Hanging to each word he spoke, the three sat like attentive school children. Adorable.
The second line brought with it ample visual appeal Ghingham prints on structured thigh-split dresses with puff sleeves and fan pleating.
The chiffon dresses carried floral designs in sequins. Kane admitted that the embroidery was in fact done at workshops in Mumbai.

Shiny, Happy People
Suneet Varma
At: 9.30 pm



10.35 pm is not an hour for good girls to be outdoors. Especially if it's a discotheque. Exasperated photographers hoot "Ganpati bappa maurya", and strangely all is well.
A Saturday Night Fever backdrop at Suneet Varma's finale for Lakme, with barely-clad models in come-hither pose.
Model Lisa Haydon, who makes her debut in Aisha with Sonam Kapoor and Abhay Deol, opens the show with a dance number from Donna Summer's I feel love. Her moves are groovy.
Rainbow-hued clothes beg for glares, and hackneyed silhouettes kaftans, tunics, kurtis aren't helping the fashion cause. Next in line, sequins.
In abundance. Animal prints. Roaring. Colours earthy. Turbaned models keep pace with Mariah Carey's version of DJ Saved my life.
More sequins, now with rhinestones for company. Over catsuits, tights, evening gowns, ghagras and jackets.
Lisa Haydon, Amrit Maghera and Indrani Das Gupta take a bow dancing to Bee Gees' Night Fever. Suneet Varma, the designer, joins in, moves better than the trio. The end.

Suhani Pittie
At: 12 noon



When traditional balis turn into neckpieces and zippers transform into chokers dangling with gold-plated silver balls, it's a sign of a well-versed designer.
Suhani Pittie knows her craft. She goes beyond begging-for-sunglasses bling. Her show was about taking what's preciously vintage, and contradicting it with the whimsical.
The Hyderabad-based jewellery designer (who's fashion designer Anamika Khanna's sister) has been a usual suspect at LFW, exhibiting her wares at the stalls.
This season, she got on ramp to showcase Grunge Begum. Her petite frame and quiet dress sense threaten to fade her in a crowd. But her designs do the talking.
Hyderabadi jhumkas, ancient Kasula Peru coins and Nawabi insets were stripped off their splendid sheen and metamorphosed into neckpieces, while Goddess Laxmi, the caretaker of wealth, was spotted on a zipper necklace with a pendant of uncut crystals.

>Is it a scarf? Breathing Space by Eina Ahluwalia explored two lines of jewellery Truth and Sunset in Nice.
Truth saw sliced agate, a form of quartz, set in silver fretwork and strung together with bold chunks of amethyst, corals, jasper and citrine.
But what really caught the light was Sunset in Nice. Were they stoles? Were they scarves? Or were they jewels?



Leaf like, abstract, or disc shaped pendants strung together with vibrant silks, in blues, oranges and greens made for bizarre and beautiful neck pieces.
Take off the silk and you have with a brand new ring or even a brooch. Way cool!
Is it permissible to show fancy clothes at an accessory show? Fashion designer James Ferreira brought his stellar expertise to jewellery designer Malini Agarwal's showcase.
His primitive approach to the art of drapes lent the show a sense of innocence, melancholia even as models sauntered in wearing his drapes.
Malaga's range was a no-brainer with applique on leather clutches. Shoes remained flirty with wedges worn with chiffon tie ups.
Showstopper Simone Singh walked in with a heavy crystal studded necklace and gold sandals. More power to her for not cringing, even as she carried a giant clutch that threatened to drown her diminutive frame.



Haldiram's At Fashion Week: Adman Prahlad Kakkar decided to make the most of the farsan packets that were kept on front row seats for guys to take home. He popped open a packet and munched on the snack even as models walked the ramp for designer Debarun.

Pretty Wearable: Anita Dongre's Jaipur Again was a collection of separates. Translucent organza, jersey, raw silk and net found expression in jackets, gowns, saris, shorts and jumpsuits.



Interrupting the flood of white was a heavily embellished ice blue sari and another in candy floss pink. A sheer white jacket with subtle embroidery draped over a white bikini and shorts teased our senses.
White daisies worn in the hair added a a pretty touch. Full points for wearability. Actually, minus a few for lack of energy.

Pics /Shadab Khan, Rane Ashish, Vishal Yadav with editorial inputs from Malini Banerjee

Four in a row!

The fashion week that draws hundred of members of the Indian media, runs a picture of the day contest.









Photographers send in entries, photographs that they have clicked on and off ramp, while a team selects the best photographs to have been clicked each day.
Four photographs clicked by the Mid Day team made it through, and were displayed on a giant board at the venue. For those of who didn't bag an invite to a fashion show, here's a look at what you missed

<Calling Constantinople: Lina Tipnis' collection used a palette of white, beige and brown in trapeze dresses, fork trousers and cowl dresses offset with semi-precious stones. The Iznik tile blue, so characteristic of Turkey, sat in embellishments along pockets and necklines.
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Iznik pottery inspired patterns were repeated as prints on skirts and low-crotch Aladdin pants. Ancient map prints on sheaths and cocktail dresses madeu00a0 for an interesting look. The silhouettes were tent-like, and summery. Maybe some experimentation with cuts is in order.