JJ Valaya wants us to believe that the time of couture has finally arrived in India. However,at the late night show at Pearls Infrastructure Delhi Couture Week on Friday,which started on time,Valayas brides (willowy models) walked in confidence in limited edition Alika jackets a cross between a shirt and a jacket,high-on-embroidery lehengas with an errant thread trailing the creation. Interestingly,the creations were inspired by a latter-day courtesan celebrating her bygone days,with Alika,a fictional character as the muse. Keeping in with the sombre mood,the colour palette switched from ivories to a live rose garden,as actor Kangana Ranaut emerged in the end from behind a magnificent tree that made up the backdrop in an opulent wedding outfit. She strode with elan in the most expensive looking encrusted creation,that took 100 craftsmen and 1200 hours to be put together. However,there was barely a haute couture gossip on the front row. The svelte front row watchers were MIA,save Ranaut who vamped it for the paparazzi by posing generously off the ramp. Post that,it was hard-selling the film Once Upon A Time In Mumbai. If Mughal-e-Azam has to be remade and the modern day Anarkali would be walking the ramp,she would have worn this elegant creation,said Ranaut. Later,she purred positively about her diva character in the film. Meanwhile,at Anamika Khannas show earlier in the evening,Anil Kapoor and the Aisha entourage,walked down the ramp like experienced models. While Sonam was missing from the scene,sidekicks Ira Dubey,Amrita Puri and model Lisa Haydon were present to notch up the hype along with producer Rhea Kapoor. However,it was the nattily dressed up Anil who stole the show with his dandy walk. Kitted in a black sherwani,Kapoor looked nothing like a 50-year-old that he is. I started my career with modelling. The first time I walked the ramp was for Vimal fabrics, said he. Interestingly,Khanna has also done a few costumes for the film. Sounds like a fine arrangement.
