India Masala
Bollywood and culture in an emerging India
Fashion diary – clothes, controversies and a finale that wasn’t
Fashion consciousness has grown in a big way in the last 3-4 years, a fashion analyst told me. And judging by the crowds that throng the week-long Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week, it would seem that most middle class citizens, given a chance (or a day pass) want to have a piece of the fashion fraternity tag on their chest, whether they have any clue about couture or not.
The question of affordability or even wearability of the sometimes outlandish designs for the common man on Indian streets is another question.
And what would a big event in the Indian capital be without a good dose of controversy to go along with the catwalks. All shows on the first day were suddenly cancelled due to the absence of mandatory fire safety permits even as models were dressing up backstage and guests were lining up outside the hall.
The need to accommodate the cancelled shows resulted in the addition of an extra day, and a new fashion phrase – The Grand Fashion Day.
The sixth day may be the Grand Fashion Day, but it was not grand enough for fashion label Satya Paul, which pulled out of the event.
And designer Rajesh Pratap Singh, who was bestowed with the honour of the Grand Finale show, had to oddly showcase his collection on the penultimate day with the “Grand Finale” tag intact and the ceremonial last-day-last-show drinks being served to guests outside the show area.
The Rajasthan-born designer made the unconventional choice of showing his “Bespoke Tales” collection without any star showstopper, unlike most others who try and make the final show as exciting as possible for the media.
Delhi fashion week: new kid on the style block
The clash of catwalks spurred mixed emotions in the build-up to Delhi’s hosting of not one, but two fashion events this week.
Differences between organizers of the established Wills Lifestyle India fashion week led to the creation of the Fashion Foundation of India which has launched the Delhi fashion week.
The intriguing question was how would this new fashion week be received? Would its debut have models leaving their footprints on the hearts of fashion fanatics? Or would the established Wills Lifestyle India fashion week wash them away?
Sure, there may have been teething troubles for the new fashion week, which has over 20 designers on its rolls. Sumeet Nair, its main organizer, told Reuters that although it has been stressful and there was some negativity, in the here and now there is a positive atmosphere.
Over the first three days, the ramp has seen a cocktail of colours, textures, prints, layers, drapes, embroideries and shimmers all incorporated into the latest fashion trends. But what has really stood out is the garments’ wearability.
For designers like Muzaffar Ali, wearability is the key factor and anything too different becomes nothing more than a “fancy dress”.
Wearability, however, does not make for a plain showcase of collections. In the heart of India, the spice is high.
Its nice that Delhi is getting its own fashion week… there are many websites which show delhi’s fashion tredz but i like this one http://www.fashionfellow.com
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The Wall
The most fashion that an average middle-class Indian can afford are T-shirt with ‘Leevies’ tags. In fact the fake Guccis and Nina Ricci are getting so good that they drive the whole industry of duplicate brands. Our designers are sitting on the fence at the moment – deal in bulk by designing $2 Ts or tap an exclusive but small foreign clientelle? Still, I hope you had fun at the Fashion Week – its worth a free drink and an eyefull of gorgeous models at the very least.