Vintage Wear

Actor Vidya Balan sported a dusty red Sabya sari while Sabina Chopra was kitted in “Sabya from crown to toe”. “He is the only designer I stock. I would like to believe that I am his muse,” smiled Balan,who walked the ramp along with Mukherjee before the show started.

The collection,much lauded for its “museum like quality” saw models trussed in saris,suits and high-on-embroidery blouses in muted red,pale green and rustic orange,walking past antique trunks and vintage photographs that were part of the backdrop. “The show seemed straight out of the Victoria and Albert museum. The collection was,as usual,textile driven,” said the designer. To add to the retro feel,men walked the ramp sporting broad-rimmed spectacles and moustaches. “The show was spectacular and he is undoubtedly the best designer,” gushed Chopra. Mukherjee,too,expressed her prefernce for Sabyasachi who made “Indian clothes more receptive”. At Sabya’s store,the nine-yard wonder cost Rs 1.5 lakhs. “Sari is the most potent form of couture,” Sabyasachi asserted.

Meanwhile,Bollywood designer-in-residence Manish Malhotra wants us to believe that it was a red carpet collection at his first show— sans any showstopper. The front row watchers,the svelte Priya Chatwal,Ayesha Thapar and Page 3 fixture Tanisha Mohan were as eagerly awaiting the presence of a Bollywood beauty as the frenetic cameramen. “The trend of showstopper has been done to death. In fact,I am the one who started it. Tonight,I am the showstopper,” Malhotra said after parading his “opulent” collection that saw 21 dresses— all finished high on embroidery.

Malhotra’s palette was jewel-inspired,with ruby,jade and lapis infused with gold and copper. The lehengas were in fiery red,hand-embroidered with hundreds of thousands of beads and crystals,accompanied by embroidered jackets cut below the waist along with Malhotra’s trademark saris. The models walked down to a 12-minute music piece put together by DJ Whosane.