Roving Eye

Two people who did not seem impressed with the night8217;s proceedings were Marc Robinson and Sumeet Chopra. They spent the whole nightdistracting the models and taking their attention away from catwalk. But that performance has become a regular feature with Mumbai8217;s most outgoing men.

Inside show

But the next night revealed how boisterous the city8217;s crowds can really get. At the launch of Liberblu 8212; an Italian lingerie line 8212; some of the men seemed to be literally drooling. The Passion for Fashion show choreographed by Sangeeta Chopra got so many catcalls by some people, that the MC of the evening Anish Trivedi looked really disgusted. But he did not let it come in the way of his job and carried the evening with great elan. Among the more gentile members of the audience were Devika and Suresh Bhojwani, Parvez and Roshni Damania and Marc Robinson now, this model-turned-actor seems to pop up every where. The underwear line 8212; no one had heard of it 8212; was fairly basic. But that was ignored. What did stand out was that our leading ladies Madhu Sapre and Jessae Sudan-Randhawa have toned bodies to die for.

Fashionflash

The Fashion Bistro amp; Cafe opened its doors to the public on Friday night. Anduntil midnight it was touch and go, as hardly anyone turned up. But at the witching hour when the clock struck 12, there a sudden rush of models and celebs. Among the models spotted there were Dino Morea with girlfriend, Bipasha Basu, and Sheetal Malhar with boyfriend, Gautam Kapoor. Actor Fardeen Khan and socialite Hasina Jethmalani also turned up. The place was packed to the gills but that means nothing. Celeb memory in this city is short and we have seen bars come and go before you can even say, quot;One tequila, please.quot;

In top gear

Of course, the highlight of the weekend was the charity dinner for Richard Gere, held to promote AIDS awareness. Tickets cost Rs 2,500 and only the most prominent members of society received an invitation 8212; that they could buy a place at this coveted gathering. Among those who put their money on the table were were Anand and Anuradha Mahindra, Parmeshwar and Pheroza Godrej, UmaDubash, Zeenia Lawyer, Jackie Shroff and Salman Khan. The dress code was elegant and most of the women there had opted to wear saris, except for Parmeshwar who opted for a black clingy dress and a gold head band with a diamond centre piece.

And though the dinner was a charity event, it was haute couture that was the focus of the night. A high-fashion auction had been organised to raise money for AIDS charities. The glittering show kicked-off with Rhea and Sanjay Dutt in an Abu Jani-Sandeep Khosla creation. Bharat Shah snapped it up for a whopping Rs 3.5 lakh, even though the auctioneer, Dolly Thakore, protested that the sum was not enough. After strutting down the ramp, Sanjay picked up the microphone and said, succinctly, quot;Count me in.quot;

Another mega-buyer was Hasina Jethmalani. She bought a Rohit Bal outfit, modelled by Pooja Bedi-Ibrahim. The original and hottest Kama Sutra girl danced to a Spice Girl8217;s song and looked like she was really enjoying herself. And guess what? She8217;s slimmer after herbaby.Parmeshwar who could not go home empty handed snapped up a sexy black Arjun Khanna lehanga. The most revealing outfit of the night, we are sure that she will be sporting it at the next gala event. But it8217;s sister-in-law Pheroza Godrej who stole the show. Wearing a stunning red and black salwar kameez, the normally sari-clad art patron set pulses racing. Her husband, Jamshyed, bid furiously against Parmeshwar but Ms Godrej is used to winning. She picked up the outfit for Rs 2.75 lakh. Even Anand Mahindra tried to put in a bid but Parmesh pipped everyone to the post. Sunday8217;s event really drew in the big bucks. Dimple Kapadia was so carried away that she got up and modelled the outfit she was wearing. Dimple8217;s garments went for Rs 6 lakh. Only poor Ruby Bhatia had to buy her own outfit as no one even made a bid for it.

Despite the serious nature of the evening, what with Gere and Shabana talking on the epidemic nature of AIDS, the night was one of light heartedness. The wine flowed and the sit-downdinner included grilled chicken and a vegetable terrine starter. All the seats were pre-assigned and event went off with no hitches. Over Rs 50 lakh was raised more than the Delhi function. The city8217;s movers and shakers are already planning follow-up events, so that the issue is not forgotten.

Receiving end

IT has been a week of endless partying for Sanjay Dutt and Rhea Pillai, who are finally celebrating their whirlwind wedding. Shaina NC hosted a bash for them at her father8217;s house on Thursday. And despite the rising temperatures the city8217;s most beautiful people turned up to congratulate the couple. Rhea looked dazzling in a white Shahab Durazi outfit but the designer dominated the night. Quite a few of the guests had opted to wear one of his creations. Shaina, all shimmering in silver, preferred to wear one of her own designs, and stood out in a crowd predominantly dressed in formal western wear. The Napean Sea Road sea-facing bungalow was turned into a cocktail of Mumbai8217;s most glamourouspeople. There was Behram and Farzana Contractor, young business scion Gautam Singhania, Poonam Dhillon, Jackie Shroff and a host of models ranging from Anna Bradmeyer to Madhu Sapre.

But the celebrations did not end that night. On Sunday, there was another party for the duo. So, straight after the Richard Gere function everyone made a beeline to Yashab, at the Khyber restaurant. Among those spotted there were the couple8217;s close friends Raja and Queenie Dhody she has just had a baby boy but you could not tell from looking at her fabulous figure and Hasina and Tony Jethmalani. And though it was Sunday night, the bubbly was popped and the bottles passed around.

And finally8230;.

Another model who should be celebrating is Meghna Reddy. No, she is not getting married but this babe with oodles of attitude has been chosen as the new Levi8217;s girl. Apparently, girls from all over Asia were tested but the international giant decided that our own desi girl is what they Mangta Hai.