New Wave

Fashion and philanthropy came together for one night at the Hyatt Regency hotel,Bhikaji Cama,to raise funds for the Tamana school for special children. Six leading designers of the country — Payal Jain,Satya Paul,Malini Ramani,Meera and Muzaffar Ali,Suneet Verma and JJ Valaya ­­— showcased their special collections,celebrating 26 years of Tamana special schools. Present on the occasion was Gursharan Kaur,wife of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

While Jain stuck to simple white ankle-length kurtas with small silver embellishments,and dresses made of satin,crepe and complicated layers of gauze and net,the Satya Paul collection was mostly in crimson reds,including a new take on the traditional white and red border Bengali saris. Ramani’s Grecian warrior gypsy-like outfits went from muted blacks and golds to a rainbow of colours,making it one of the most popular ramp walks for the students. Each designer ended their segment walking down the catwalk with a student from Tamana as the showstopper,wearing outfits specially stitched for the event. FDCI president,Sunil Sethi,was facilitated with the Humanitarian award for the year for his contribution to Tamana and its inclusion into the fashion industry.

Close to one thousand guests,including actors,politicians and celebrities were present at the event. Public figures like Major General WS Chona,cosmetician Shahnaz Husain,actor Dia Mirza,singers Anamika and Shibani Kashyap turned up to show their support to the cause. At the end of the function Kaur spoke of the progress the school has made in the past two decades. “Tamana has not only just helped the children,but also their parents,” she said,dressed in a simple orange and mauve silk sari with minimal jewelery . “These children do not have to feel inferior to any other child,” she added.