Alluring design

On Saturday, the Crawford market lifestyle store, Allure, held another fashion show for its regular clientele. This time the designers on display were from outside the city 8212; Delhi8217;s Manish Arora and Rana Dhaka, and Bangalore8217;s Aki Narula.

Manish is Rohit Bal8217;s former assistant and this is the first time his designs will be available in Mumbai. Trained at NIFT Delhi, Manish is well known for his rather wacky and outlandish designs. Though he says he has tamed his collection for the Mumbai audience, his clothes are still very funky. They can only be worn by those with attitude with a capital A8217;. In Delhi, for instance, one of his most regular clients is the young socialite Malini Ramani. quot;After Delhi, this is the next biggest market. And I hope to come here more often,quot; says he. Manish8217;s timing is perfect this time though. His collection, which can only be called quot;Indo-Westquot; 8212; block prints on velvet, for instance 8212; is slightly on the heavy side, perfect for the wedding season. The other Delhi designer,Rana Dhaka, brought a collection even more elaborate and ornate than Manish8217;s. Rina Dhaka8217;s sister-in-law 8212; that explains why her name already rings a bell 8212; who trained in New York8217;s FIT and has spent some time as an apprentice with Ralph Lauren, is Delhi8217;s hottest new designer. Rana is hopeful of recreating that success in Mumbai too. Her sari and blouse sets were in light shades, with gold thread being the dominant feature.

Aki8217;s line was, by far, the most casual. It included some light and easy-to-wear kurtas for men and women. With prices starting at Rs 900, we think his clothes will not stay on the rack for long. Allure is owned by Gurlien Manchanda and Pavan Uttam, both originally from Delhi, so it comes as no surprise that the store is promoting talent from the capital.