The style quarter

There8217;s reason why the front-row fashion editors left the room stating 8220;Varun Bahl is India8217;s best designer8221;. The 32-year-old designer8217;s collection was a lesson in fusion wear; he teamed lavish velvet tailcoats with opulent sequined gold lehengas, balloon hem kurtis, achkans, embroidered slips under net saris, and created garments that looked like they had walked out of a costume museum.

Easily the most awe-inspiring line of the week, Bahl8217;s jewel-tone colours emerald greens, ruby reds and deep blues added to the Elizabethan-meets-Moghul touch. Vintage meets contemporary at its most delicious. His front-row comprised Prahlad Kakkar, Vidya Malvade, Urvashi Sharma and the delectable Randeep Hooda.

This was followed by yet another magnificent couturier, Tarun Tahiliani, who got Shilpa Shetty to be his showstopper in red brocade with semi-precious stones. The coy wannabe bride walked down with boyfriend Raj Kundra and sister Shamita Shetty hooting for her. Elegant extravagance is Tahiliani8217;s 77-piece collection in two words. Be it the ivory chikan and gota empire line Moghul kurtas, Swarovski body suits or the chiffon gown or the printed kaftans. He went a little offbeat with jersey tops worn over biker pants. Couture demands perfection and this he proved with a line that couldn8217;t be overpowered even by his sultry showstopper.

Manish Malhotra8217;s show was high on couture quotient too. Strangely, the man roped in for his Bollywood clout, xmade his paparazzi-fodder friends stay away. His palette was an interplay of rich peacock blues, greens and pinks, in velvet and crushed silk. However, we thought that some of the embroidery on his clothes was straight out of his films. After a dismal show at LFW earlier this year, he seemed to be redeeming himself at couture week.

Rohit Bal closed his collection to a standing ovation from all. Exquisitely crafted with painstaking detail, each garment was a labour of love and dedication. Infinite layers, quirky cuts and tons of volume made his show a cut above the rest. The first batch of whites gave way to robust colours in rich velvet, silks and organzas. Called 8216;Cheshma Shahi8217;, the collection stood for a maverick sensibility, far from designs dictated by current trends. Bal had something for everyone who8217;d kill to be wrapped up in such flamboyance.