Delhi Couture Week 2012

Earlier this year,when Manish Malhotra showcased “Gulala Giltoor”,his autumn-winter collection,many were surprised at the designer’s shift from Bollywood bling to a toned-down collection. But on Saturday night,in a chokingly cramped banquet at Taj Palace Hotel,amid noise and chaos,Malhotra found his way back to encrusted lehengas,fat border saris,velvets and brocade gotas. Instead of bridal red,he opted for nudes,pretty peach and neon pink — a thumbs up for the colour palette. He used layering to hilt and stuck to Indian silhouettes — saris,shararas,lehenga-skirts,bikini blouses and cholis. A pretty collection,no doubt,but haven’t we seen this before? With Karan Johar in the front row and Katrina Kaif on the ramp,the show was a huge success.

The other side of the bride

A model wearing a creation by Shantanu-Nikhil. The designer duo’s new-age bride,dealing single-handedly with the socio-economic crisis of the present-day world,was a novel concept but the clothes could have been stronger. Flowy gowns,power shoulders and metal inlay work overstated the point. Cobalt blue,black and tomato red ruled the ramp.

Vinglish Woman

Sabyasachi Mukherjee

The living room of the bespectacled woman is beautifully cluttered — full of memories of a joyous and an adventurous past. While paintings,cuckoo clocks,vintage candle stands,wall-mounted antelope heads,vases and fat lamps paint a happy picture,the eyes of this lonely woman tell another tale. This was Sabyasachi’s story for the finale of the PCJ Delhi Couture Week on Sunday night. While the soul of the collection,titled “New Moon”,was truly Indian,it had a strong global appeal as Sabyasachi juxtaposed Indian silhouettes with Russian needlepoint work,boutis from the French countryside,chintz from the UK and kantha from Bangladesh. Models came down the set in lehengas,saris,ghaghra skirts,sherwanis,anarkalis,kurtis,churidars and tweed trousers in signature Sabyasachi colours such as blood red,black,off-white,salmon and nude shades. It’s a collection that can easily be misunderstood — it lacked the band and baaja associated with a couture week finale,as the models walked to dirges and the clothes stayed away from bridal wear. Still,it was a befitting finale for the simple reason that the clothes did all the talking. Louder than Sridevi’s English Vinglish.