Roving eye

With seven collections on display, the clothes looked like they would turn even imperfect bodies into the lithe figures of the models. Like many other designers J J too, has used a lot of Swarovski crystal in his clothes. It seems that these clear stones are the definitive fashion statement of the season. At the end of the day, these crystal cuts were overshadowed by good old-fashioned embroidery.

J J8217;s Vitasta8217; line which mainly used resham thread embroidery done in Kashmir looked so rich that some of the clothes looked like they should be hung on walls. After the show compered by quiz master Sidharth Basu it was back to the Crystal room where J J8217;s business development manager Anu Ahuja, dressed in a stunning silver sari, made sure the guests had their second dose of fine hospitality.

Biz banter

Fountainhead,the bookstore at Crossroads, was packed to full capacity on Wednesday morning. The launch of Business Mantras, Gita Piramal8217;s new book, co-written by her daughters Radhika and Aparna and nephew, Mukund Beriwala, attracted many corporate czars like Harsh Goenka and some creative types like Dolly Thakore.

The book has interesting quotes from business stalwarts like Dhirubhai Ambani, Rahul Bajaj and R P Goenka. This book of quotations is bound to become a Bible for business enthusiasts and speakers. Khan colaON Thursday night, the Fashion Bistro amp; Bar hosted a promotion for Montana perfume. Though he Bistro often holds such promos, this time it really outdid itself vis a vis the crowd. But what do you expect with Sohail Khan starring as bartender for the night8217;? Though his big brother was meant to accompany him, Salman got stuck with work and had to bail out at the last minute. Not that it made much of a difference as Sohail proved to be quite the cocktail man behind the bar counter. Giving him shaking andstirring tips were brother Arbaaz Khan and wife Malaika Arora.

Though they both are teetotallers, their naturally high spirits could not be contained. Also spotted enjoying a night out was Madhu Sapre could it be because that night she was also named Montana woman of the week?

Beach wear

On Saturday night, Goa proved that it knows as much about style as Mumbai with the first Sosa fashion show. Situated in Panjim, this not-even-a-year-old store held its fashion premiere at Tito8217;s, one of Goa8217;s most popular nightspots. Sharing the ramp were Mumbai8217;s Sara Eapen, Nahid Merchant, Priyadarshni Rao and Lina Tipnis with Goa8217;s Savio Jon and Ranji Kelekar as well as Delhi-based designer Aki Narula.

The clothes were well-cut and innovatively styled, with Aki kickstarting the show with easy-to-wear kurtas for men, followed by Nahid8217;s western line. A special mention must be made of the sheer black sarong she teamed with an organza short top, ideal for eveningwear at resort. Ranji, too, used a lot of sheerfabrics and his see-through shirts for men received a warm response from the audience. Fellow Goan designer Savio completed the look with innovative trousers for men by including crushed pants and trousers with brocade borders as part of his collection.

For women, he had a wide range of styles from long strapless dresses to short sexy numbers worn with a sheer shrug. It must be said though that his show stopper was overshadowed by model Dianadra Soares dressed in a green lehenga-style skirt with a backless choli. However, it was not her back that caught the eye of the audience but her gleaming pate she had shaved off her hair for the last entry! Mumbai designers Sara and Lina also did not fail to dazzle.

Sara had draped white organza dupattas over silver and white trousers worn with silver lycra tops. Exceptionally well-cut, her clothes were simple enough to be worn for a night out in Goa or to a formal cocktail party, if dressed with the right accessories. Lina8217;s label Linkara, too, comprised of thesimple and the chic. Using only neutral shades and black, she has some well- finished long skirts with matching tops, highlighted by short dupattas to be worn around the shoulders like a stole. Sosa8217;s proved that the Goan Bohemian now look is serious business.

Designer delight
But it was not only the audience including Goa8217;s ritzy rich Jimmy Guzdar who were impressed with the clothes. Other designers present at the show like James Ferreira and Azeem Khan, too, were delighted with the showing. For James it was the first time that he wanted to buy what was on the ramp.

quot;These really are the best, most minimalistic clothes I have seen. I absolutely want them.quot; Azeem, who is starting his own pret line next month, was equally effusive. quot;It really was different.quot;

And finally8230;

We all know that Shah Rukh Khan is the Omega ambassador, but it seems that one star was not enough for this brand. The time-keeping company has gone and recruited actress Sonali Bendre as their officialspokesperson. Now what that means and how is it different from Shah Rukh8217;s post as ambassador, we don8217;t know. And frankly, we don8217;t care. Even the simplest task these days comes with a a fancy designation. But we aren8217;t cribbing about that let8217;s face it, it is all about marketing.

We are just wondering if former models are running scared. Earlier, plum jobs like these fell on their laps, now Bollywood actors are muscling into their turf. Tough times ahead?