The Elle style awards was touted as the event of the week. Having been out of the country for well nigh seven weeks, I looked at the invite and pondered the logistics of a free and fair nomination. Indomitable task if the whole nation was to participate. On arrival at the Regal room, a young lady pulverised me with the usual inane rat-a-tat sound byte. Once in, I got a drink and slunk to a wall flower post. Pradeep Guha, a veteran of many a Ms India and other shows asked me if I knew how the nominations were calculated. I half jokingly said Hey! I bet its all pre-decided. I couldn't help notice the outfits of some of Mumbai's style Kings and Queens. Sophiya looked like a true life Princess in a red net buckram puffed skirt with a white bra strap shirt. Wow! I would have had her on my list Superb! But No! sadly she didn't win. Jules too looked like his bowler hat could win him a spot but No! when Raveena came to kiss Pradeep hello! I thought Huh! Huh! Not dark velvet in July! Yet she won. When Malaikawalked by in a lovely feather bustier I knew she'd have to win something! She looked sensational No! as for Arbaaz he's got a laid back gentlemanly propah look No! Another potential awardee? Seeing Mayuri Samarth and her lovely sister in slinky cream outfits made me gasp style queens of the younger generation. Ra ! Ra! Sanjay Narang in a crisp white cotton shirt looked like he'd got himself a tan from a season in the sun and better still entertained regaling us with jokes. Most of the corporate czars looked stiff and behaved it, what happened to the incredible lightness of being? When Dino and Bipasha swung by I couldn't but wish that they'd get a swipe at an award or two. I also noticed that some of the people there that night had made a deliberate attempt to dress down, inverted snobbery perhaps? We walked into a near full room, so upon spotting my favourite gentleman seated by his charming wife I dashed and sat by him. Behram or Busybee has to be the city's all time, all season favourite, he has the mostsoulful eyes and spouts funny little asides that have me giggling days later. Talent combined with an awesome experience of life makes him a man for all seasons. We did our fair share of meows and whispers but most of our opinions matched to the `T' especially when we felt the wrong person had got an award. To list each and every category and the winner will cause me acute memory failure and perhaps I will run the risk of never being invited again but old pal Neerja knows that just as she has an opinion I do too and so here goes. Daler is a dear friend and sings with revved up vocals and enthusiasm, but a style award? Pardon me! Talvin Singh should have got it or Lata Mangeshkar in her Kanjeevarams. Not Shah Rukh and Kajol again please! They make a cute on-screen couple but Jackie and Aishwarya would have seemed this year's naturals and more plausible. Manish is talented as a stylist but surely Hemant Trevedi or Rohit Bal deserved the award for their inspiring designs and interpretation, from paper tomannequin, to customer. I have no quarrel with Pranoy's dress sense but Karan Thapar has panache and style. Madhu Sapre looked like a dream but icon status should have gone to someone like Rekha, the actress. Sadly, it did seem like most of our style gurus came from the fashion or film world when in reality it is high society that buys the stuff designers make, strutted by the models but bought by greenbacks from the upper echelons of society. Virtually none of these men and women won. They are the backbone of the industry, yet no social man or woman made the grade. The business woman and man award was the closest to this group that we got. As for the rest of the show, if it didn't register on the Richter scale it was a No! No! I chatted with quite a few people on how they enjoyed the show and their opinion of the awardees. It was uniformly critical. Could it have been sour grapes? I wondered and then again No! because most of the people I knew there came for the fun of a `one of a kind' evening. I mingledand danced and noticed some more potential awardees. It was a fun evening and in the spirit of Elle. Remember when I was the wicked stepmother in one of Elle's earlier editions, thus my difference of opinion should be par for the course. I hope the style gurus don't find a year of dressing up and living up to a reputation of style too stressful. Last but not least as I'd misplaced my invitation, I wore pink, though it was the Black and White style awards. Was that a style faux pax? Never mind, after this I'd be lucky to get invited to pose as the Vampire slayer come Xmas.
