Valaya turns ramp into Istanbul bazar

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Designer J.J. Valaya with actress Kangna Ranaut at the grand finale of the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week 2012 in New Delhi

What was common between couturiers J.J. Valaya and Tarun Tahiliani at the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week? Their collections, which were inspired by the Ottoman Empire. Valaya, who closed the week, celebrated the completion of two decades in the world of Indian luxury and launched his new line of ready-to-wear.
The set was designed as the famous grand bazar of Istanbul.
A magnificent structure was erected to show the architecture of the multi-cultural city.
The show started on a musical note and saw a performance by international artist Volga Tunca playing darbuka (goblet drum).
The collection was called “Azrak”, meaning rare and uncommon.
Ivory and black initiated the show before colours took over. Dramatic weaves, exotic birds and graphic calligraphy were seen on voluminous garments. Quilted jackets with traditional detailing were paired with breeches and print leggings.
Denim also made an appearance in unpredictable fashion and was in sync with lush velvets and gossamer silks.
The silhouettes covered a wide spectrum and included dresses, shirts, interestingly cut blouses, skirts, breeches and saris apart from the jackets. Menswear — achkans, salwars, breeches, kurtas — also shared space with opulent lehengas.
As the show was cleaved into divisions, there was a performance for every segment during which Christian Jose Vare played kemenche and belly dancer Ekaterina reflected the playful Turkish harmony through her moves.
Valaya also had non-models walk the runway. Among the 12 showstoppers from diverse fields like art, dance and design were designer Rohit Bal wore a grey brocade achkan with a colourful voluminous salwar, Suneet Varma came out in black jacket with ivory breeches, entrepreneur Naveen Ansal was seen in a denim bandhgala and breeches, set designer Sumant Jayakrishnan showed off a velvet jacket with blue denim breeches and Nishant Peralta in a brocade jacket and velvet jacket. Towards the end of the show, Bollywood actor Kangna Ranaut made an appearance in an ivory gown with a long brown and gold embroidered velvet jacket. That is how the week ended sans any faux pas or controversies.