Manish Arora’s Parisian Act

Manish Arora’s Autumn/Winter 2011 show at the Paris Fashion Week on Thursday showed that the designer still has many tricks up his sleeve. And it’s not just fashion that we’re talking about. The Indian designer is well-known for his penchant for theatrics on the ramp and the crazy inventiveness of his clothes. This time,however,Arora resorted to actual magic tricks as he got illusionist Benjamin Dukhan to add a new dimension to his show. The magician,channeling Gothic glamour with his flowing black robes and a beard,wheeled an empty cage onto the runway,covered it with his cape and pulled it back with a flourish to reveal the model who had suddenly appeared inside. At one point,Dukhan even sawed one of the girls in half.

Of course,none of these dramatics took away from the collection that Arora showcased and he got a full hand from the house,including front-row guest Kanye West. It was yet another triumph for the designer,who was recently named the creative director of French label Paco Rabanne. He kept the silhouettes more wearable than usual,but his flair for the flamboyant continued to be evident in the details — from the sequin-saturated leggings and jackets to the full fur skirts held in place with armour-like metal belts.