It won’t be wrong to say that Frieda Pinto is a Hollywood star. She is well entrenched in Hollywood and has worked with luminaries like Woody Allen. Frieda was at PCJ Delhi Couture Week 2013 to drive on to the ramp in a gleaming Audi R8 to set off Varun Bahl’s couture collection.
Over the past three nights, we saw some top-notch couture collections and till now it’s Anamika Khanna’s collection that has enamoured most. Couture in India hovers around wedding wear but Anamika ventured out and showcased innovative shapes and silhouettes. Tonal embroidery was executed so finely that they looked as if motifs were woven into the fabric. Shararas, saris, lehengas and cropped capes with scalloped edges in salmon pink, nude, icy whites and violet were absolutely beautiful. Deft use folds and tucks gave basic skirts and blouse a whole new dramatic look.
Bahl too had great show. Wedding wear isn’t anymore restricted to the shades of red and this season off-white and nude seems to be the dominating hue. Bahl excelled in intricate texturisation and the beautifully juxtaposed sheer and opaque fabrics. Classic and rich look doesn’t need heavy embellishment and that’s what was seen in Bahl’s opening sequence in black dresses.
Sabyasachi Mukherjee was the big draw on the opening night of PCJ Delhi Couture Week 2013. His opening sequence started off with classy look but soon graduated to a blingy one. The extensive use of overlapping gold sequence work, known as ‘kachra’ work, however, was a dampener and has been done to death a year or so ago. High expectations but low deliverance from Mukherjee.
Anju Modi has created a signature element about her label that she only uses organic textiles. The blend of traditional lehengas with Western-styled cholis—with Peter Pan colours and leg-of-mutton sleeves—were interesting. Extensive use of khadi layered with velvet was another high point of Anju’s collection.
Monisha Jaisingh made her debut at Delhi Couture Week but instead of her famous gowns, we saw her taking the safe route of fusion and Indian wear. Guess the big, fat desi wedding is where the moolah is.
It was couture jewellery’s turn when PCJ presented their collection and teamed up with Satya Paul. But the whole purpose was defeated when clothes were taking away the attention from exquisite diamond necklaces, earrings and bangles. More so because Satya Paul collection by Masaba Gupta was a black and white story in which diamonds got lost. If PCJ had shown those luxurious jewellery over simple black capes, the jewellery would have been the star.
The FDCI organised five-day PCJ Delhi Couture Week 2013 also saw Manish Arora showcasing Indian bridal wear for the first time. Curtain comes down tonight with Manish Malhotra’s collection.
Offsite show, offsite party
It has kind of become a norm here—‘Offsite Show’ during the couture week is a league above.
This is the second consecutive offsite show Anamika Khanna did and this time it was at the Leela Palace in Chanakyapuri. Technically, offsite means having the show at a venue of your choice from the regular venue.
After a great show, it was time to party and designers, models and fashionistas did party hard. FDCI President Sunil Sethi played a great host and was the last to leave and so did the lady of the evening, Anamika Khanna.