Sabyasachi highlights ignored fabric, Manish keeps it simple
Models showcase designs by Manish Malhotra at the Pearls Infrastructure Delhi Couture Week 2010 on Tuesday. PHOTOS: Bunny Smith
THE NAME of his line “Aparajito (The Unvanquished)” truly epitomised the spirit of Kolkata’s wonder boy Sabyasachi Mukherjee, who gave a fitting start to the Delhi Couture Week on Tuesday at the Grand Hotel by paying homage to the humble khadi, Indian handlooms and Zardozi.
Interestingly, Captain Courageous Sabya adopted an abandoned and ignored fabric and masterfully took it to the heights of haute couture, which is traditionally all about opulence and French lace.
For many shutterbugs, though, the highlight of the evening were the two lovely actresses, the reclusive Rani Mukerji and the stunning Vidya Balan, fawning over the reticent style guru on the ramp. The stage was perfect, everything antique, reminding you of an era where floral embroidery played with Mughal motifs in Zardozi and red velvet jackets teamed up with peek-a-boo shararas. But Sabya never shied away from using voile or subtle embellishments to make the collection powerful. But it was heartening to see him so effortlessly combine forgotten Indian hand printing and hand embroidery with Mumtaz-style kurtas in an earthy palette. Resham was there and so was zardozi, but it was Sabya’s treatment that made them stand out in the ingenious way that he mixed colours and accessorised the line with Oxford-style chunky boots and little embroidered caps. Everything was perfect: from the male models with moustaches, girls with plaits, noses pierced, to the film Bazar playing in the background and the qawwali setting the rhythm of the show, Sabya never once let us forget that his line will always be rooted in Indian heritage. Bollywood style guru Manish Malhotra decided to keep it simple by avoiding Karisma and Kareena and focused on a line that was bright and bold. With flaming red, layered gowns tapering off to teal, lagoon black, beige and off-white, velvet and chiffon dominated the line. “I wanted to make the ensembles wearable and for me couture week is all about branding as I am essentially a trousseau designer. But because I have been so synonymous with Bollywood it is easy for the fash frat to bracket me as a ‘filmy’ designer,” he said.
With the bevy of beauties, Priya Chatwal, Ayesha Thapar, Tanisha Mohan turning up tottering in their killer heels with their Guccis in tow, it seems that Fashion Design Council of India has yet again managed to get the couture week on track, even though Sunil Sethi, the president, was seen carrying a bag which declared, “Bored”. So much for humour eh?
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