Party Planner

The guiding principle for parties this year: subtlety. Not very convenient, not even classic. But in-your-face is out, understated is in. Loud colours, bright flowers, over-the-top decor, food, fashion, lights are strict no-nos. 8216;8216;People want a more relaxed atmosphere,8217;8217; says Meher Sarid, a Delhi-based party organiser. 8216;8216;Themes are minimalistic and subtle.8217;8217;

Rather than inhibiting your imagination, let the new dictum set you free. Like Rekha Mohan, wife of foodie and liquor baron Rocky Mohan, who loves organising parties. 8216;8216;Delhi has become boring and pseudo. That8217;s why I prefer hosting parties away from the city. Recently, I threw a party on the banks of the Ganga at Rishikesh. And for Christmas, I am going down to Kolkata 8212; we8217;ll have the party on a ship, with8216;shipwrecked8217; as the theme.8217;8217;

DECOR: All those garish sets of faux Taj Mahals and Victoria Memorials are, mercifully, finally over. Now it8217;s a choice between indoor parties and open air barbecues 8212; just make sure your guests are warm, either with the help of roaring woodfires so gloriously decadent, sigris strewn around the lawns, or huge bonfires.

Flowers and candles dominate the decor, whether the venue is indoors or out. Only, there8217;s been a sea-change in the kinds of flowers to be put up. Imported is the best, especially birds of paradise, lilies and African orchids. If that8217;s beyond the budget, go in for the single wooden sticks of flowers, but whatever you do, leave the Marigolds for Salman Khan!

Candles are everywhere, perfumed, floating, spangled, sequinned, dripless, on exotic metal stands and in huge welcoming pools. So much so that at Shahab Durazi8217;s overcrowded show in Mumbai recently, guests were asked to blow out the candles next to them as a safety precaution. Candles are used more for their aesthetic value than illumination, though, so make sure there8217;s loads of uplighting all over the venue.

FASHION: In Delhi, fashion designers Tarun Tahiliani, Raghavendra Rathore and Rohit Bal continue to be the favourites. Then there are new entrants like Siddharth Tytler son of politician Jagdish Tytler, whose short leather bomber jackets with slit sleeves are quite the rage in Delhi8217;s party circuit.

In the more temperate climes of Mumbai, it is Aki Narula and Monisha Jaisingh who rule the chatterati. Narula8217;s pin-tucked, appliqued shirts are very popular with men, while Jaisingh8217;s bright, spangled western kurtas make for perfect eveningwear, especially when teamed with satin pants or embellished jeans. Party-goers can also expect to see lots of Malini Ramani, whose recent preview at Avanti Birla8217;s Yantra saw Mumbai8217;s glamour set 8212; right from Tanya Dubash to Gauri Khan 8212; going into raptures over her pink kurtas, corsets and ruffled and ripped blouses.

Among the international designers, Italian Roberto Cavalli is king. His animal prints upwards of 400 and his jeans 1000 upwards are hugely popular. Then of course, there8217;s that old favourite, Versace, for Mumbai, while the Capital goes for Donna Karen, Ferragamo, Guess, CK and Christian Dior especially bags if the likes of Ayesha Thapar, Ameeta Seth, Shalu Jindal and Soha Ali Khan are anything to go by.

If label-toting is not quite your style, just flaunt animal prints, short hair and lots of crochet in skirts, bags, dresses. And if you are displaying skin, make sure there8217;s a crystal tattoo lurking around somewhere. Definitely not mehndi!

FOOD: What8217;s a party without food? But banish all images of indiscriminately heaped up buffet tables and focus, instead, on the latest rage: live cooking. It also takes care of today8217;s principal concerns: fresh food, healthy cooking. Says Neeta Raheja of Creative Explosion, an event management firm, 8216;8216;People have become more health conscious, they like to know what8217;s going into the food they are eating. That8217;s why live cooking has caught on so well.8217;8217;

Cocktail snacks are also important this year. 8216;8216;Earlier, we just used to have chicken and paneer tikkas. Now one even finds smoked salmon doing the rounds,8217;8217; says Bhaichand Patel, one of the most active party-throwers in Delhi. Oysters are the other hot item on the menu, never mind that most people don8217;t know how to eat them.

Cuisine-wise, Lebanese yawn continues to rule. Someone somewhere please discover a new cuisine8230;

DRINK: If cocktail snacks have evolved, can cocktails be far behind? If, once upon a time, spirits with Coke, Sprite or orange juice were all the choice offered to poor guests, now a party is not declared a party unless there8217;s an array of cocktails on offer. Bloody Marys and Tom Collins have been banished forever instead, it8217;s the delicious and lethal Caiparinha vodka with lemon juice, sugar and Margaritas that keeps the bartenders busy these days.

MUSIC: Parties at this time of the year usually come with deejays, rather than live bands, because of all the dancing that8217;s the norm. This year8217;s no different. So keep the live bands for the Xmas balls, local gymkhanas and five-star dos, and let the DJ belt out lounge music and Buddha Bar.

If you must go desi, you don8217;t have much choice apart from Bollywood remixes. Retro, mind you, is completely out.