Persian Paints: Manish Malhotra opened India Couture Week with stunning showstoppers and a lacklustre collection

The Sleeve Revolution: As with any Malhotra presentation, the usual lehengas, jackets with cigarette trousers and sherwanis walked the runway. But what really worked was the experimentation with sleeves. Off-shoulder blouses, sleeves that break into capes, one-shoulder blouse paired with a lehenga and sleeves with multiple frills added the much needed oomph factor to the otherwise bland collection.

Colour Card: Malhotra played with the darkest colours on the palette, with an overdose of maroon, red, green, brown and blue. But, with a steady stream of nearly 50 outfits walking the ramp, halfway through the show, even the deepest shades looked jaded, and repetitive.

Embroidered Tales: Entire stories from Persia — the flora and the fauna, the architecture, tales of grandeur and the myths — found themselves embroidered and embellished on lehenga skirts, jackets, and gowns that the models sashayed down the ramp. Motifs in handwoven gold embroidery gave a glimpse into what Persia was. But, 20 garments later, the stories lost their novelty, and left us waiting for a different narrative.

Showstopper Central: Pakistani heart-throb Fawad Khan opened the show for Malhotra in a black velvet kurta with maroon palazzos, and was greeted with cameras phones flashing and loud cheers — all making this handsome, bearded man break into a smile. The show ended with Padukone gliding on to the ramp in an off-shoulder blouse with a maroon lehenga skirt, giggling as she was given the same reception as Khan. Towards the end, Khan held her hand, while Malhotra picked the mile-long trail for the final bow.

Fashionably Late: This is a term that has crossed its expiration date. Weeks and months are spent curating a show, and even then it started 80-minutes late. Monsoon can’t be blamed, alas, since it didn’t rain. Nor can one point fingers at the front row, after all Shabana Azmi and Sophie Choudry were the only two gracing it.