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METROSCAPE
Fashion Freeway
The who, what, will, won't
of the Lakme India Fashion Week 2001
We
are not sure if the Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI) will approve
of Lina Tipnis' choice of words. "Any sort of trade fair is
welcome," she says of the LIFW. Her question: "Why do we've
to pay for participating?" Answers, anyone?
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Lina
Tipnis
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Leena
Singh
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Ashima and Leena Singh are participating
again this year. But the grapevine says that the cocktail circuit clique
in FDCI is taking independent decisions. This has upset Leena. "Paying
to participate pinches," is all she'll say, "especially since
it's a sponsored event." Diplomacy had to end somewhere.
 Post-Jessica
Lall and hauled up for a dress patterned on the tricolour, Malini Ramani
did not have an easy time at LIFW last year. This time she's optimistic,
and pooh-poohs talk of LIFW not translating into sales.
 Rohit
Bal has been selected along with Manish Malhotra and Rina Dhaka to
present the Grand Finale. And no, he insists he hasn't apologised to Sandeep
Khosla for calling him a "fat bastard" last year. Funny, Khosla
tells us he did.
 Mumbai's
king OF funk, Rocky S, wants to kill two birds with one stone.
He plans to woo domestic buyers with his "Indian Romance" line,
and at the same time pitch it as an "export" line to foreign
buyers.
 Like
pal Ravi Bajaj, Suneet Varma will stay away again. Last year he
opted out at the last moment. This year his own fall show is two weeks
later. The buzz is that Varma doesn't think it's worth the effort. "The
big test for LIFW is if buyers actually place orders," he says.
 One
of Mumbai'S biggest couturiers isn't biting the LIFW bait. "Bad timing,"
shrugs Azeem Khan, "Foreign buyers don't come down in August."
As for him, his wedding collection is  priority
No. 1.
Last year, she was in Europe and insists there
just "wasn't time to prepare" for LIFW. Not so this time. Is
the convenience of having the show in her own city the only reason Sangeeta
Chopra to show her work?
-Anna M.M. Vetticad and Natasha Israni
NRI Designs
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| Bajaj (centre) with the models at the preview |
Hosting Indian designers is quite the fad with
NRIs these days. Now it's a charity do for Indians wanting to study abroad.
Delhi designer Monisha Bajaj has been invited by the New York chapter
of The Association of Indians in America-the oldest national association
of Indians in America-to present her Fall 2001 collection at the city's
Hotel Crowne Plaza on July 29. Bajaj held a preview at Delhi's Parkroyal
with models Manpreet Brar, Swareena Singh, Neha Dhupia, Indrani Das Gupta
and Ayesha Prem parading 10 of the 100 outfits -costing from Rs 7,000
to Rs 42,000-tailored for the show. "It's great exposure. Also great
publicity," says Bajaj. At least she's frank.
-Anna M.M.
Vetticad
Sound Diplomacy
Pakistan is the flavour of the day. And it seems,
so also with Dubai-based bhangra singer Sukhbir. Just back after a whistle-stop
tour of Pakistan, Sukhbir, forever hiding behind his signature dark glares,
relates how each of his 30 visits to Pakistan has been a "unique
experience". "It's only a myth that we are two nations,"
says the swarthy 31-year-old, like a self-styled cultural ambassador.
"Because when it comes to music, we are still one at heart. In Pakistan,
one only gets to hear Hindi film music and Indipop all the time."
Sukhbir's Delhi stopover was not only to pontificate on his recent Pakistan
rendezvous, but also to promote his newest dance album Dil Kare in which
he blends traditional bhangra with western music, including reggae, techno
and rave. He's especially proud of the Girls, girls, girls number in it:
"This song is a tribute to the Indian beauty and the Indian girls
who are doing us so proud," raves the lad from Jalandhar. Up next
from Sukhbir's stable is a ghazal album. Now whatever made us think it
would be diplomacy?
-S. Sahaya
Ranjit
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