The last dance

With shiny disco balls,an elaborate stage set and live music by electro duo Midival Punditz,the models took to the ramp in bright neons,sequins,elaborate embroidery and lots of energy. The clothes ran the gamut of trends that the two decades gave fashion—jumpsuits,kaftans,animal prints,leggings and sequined turbans—all accompanied by Varma’s clutches,designed for Judith Leiber. Our special love went out to the one-shouldered fringed kaftan which can transform a gamine into a goddess. And when Varma finally came onto the ramp,dancing with his models,we knew he had as much fun putting together the collection,as the audience did watching it.

The other high profile show of the day was TIGI’s presentation of British designer Christopher Kane’s spring-summer and autumn-winter collections. The front row was chock-a-block with the rich and the famous. Rising star and fashion muse Freida Pinto had especially flown down to watch her friend Kane’s Indian ramp debut,wearing an ensemble from his spring creations. She was accompanied by Sabina Chopra,who wore an autumn-winter design from Kane,and sported a bird’s nest hairstyle,created by the stylists at TIGI.

While the autumn-winter collection was predictably heavy on velvets and dark colours,Kane’s spring-summer collection—diaphanous fabrics and pastels with delicate embroidery,played upon the Lolita paradox. Ordinary gingham lost its innocence with sheer skirts,thigh-high slits and peek-a-boo cutouts.

Given the hype surrounding the TIGI show,one could’ve almost forgotten the other shows of the day. Anita Dongre,who was unfortunately squeezed in between Varma and Kane,had an interesting collection of pale blues,pinks and white,replete with kurtas,jumpsuits and jodhpurs. Inspired by Jaipur,both the Anita Dongre Iinter-Pre’t line and the Timeless collection,emphasised day-to-night pieces. Pale shades dominated the day. Payal Singhal showcased maxis and cowled skirts in ecru and sand,and sprinkled them liberally with crystals—a little too much,in our opinion. But the pieces made for great separates,both as formals and casual.

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