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LIFESTYLE: LAKME INDIA
FASHION WEEK
Business As Usual
The first official event to kickstart
the week may have been a business seminar (part of the week-long series)
on Monday morning, though unofficially it was B4U's party to felicitate
fresh-from-Paris Ritu Beri and FTV owner Michel Adam on the Sunday night
before the shows. That's where the TPs (taking part) and NTPs (not taking
part) models fraternised over the money being paid (and not) by IMG, the
chief event management agency for the gala. Pity that in all the din the
useful seminars were totally overshadowed. The Fashion Development Corporation
of India (FDCI) did try "creating an environment conducive to business"-not
just partying-especially for those clueless about the larger mechanics
of business. Only that it didn't get the much-deserved attention in the
run to get a seat near the thrice-a-day ramp for shows or late-night partying.
The designers themselves were busy, though a sober Ramani did show up
for a few discussions.
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| FLIP SIDES: While Savio Jon was bold, Ritu
Kumar chose to play it safe (below) |
And, yes, they're still discussing why there's
such a surfeit of new faces on the ramp. Sayera Haq, Sachin Arora, anyone?
Later in the week, choreographer Sharmila Khanna said she didn't quite
approve of so many new faces, especially crinkling up her nose at some
of the new male models. But for them the fashion week was also an entry
to all those never-ending parties between Athena, Indigo and Taj's Apollo
Bar. And an opportunity to network (especially for the female models)
with hot male Sabeer Bhatia who had logged in everywhere.
The most ear-friendly place were the restrooms.
The models kept talking about the weird chicken head or Star Trek hairstyles.
Oh, to get some of that heavy mousse off the hair. The catwalker who stood
out was Diandra Soares (hanging around often with DJ Whossane) who opened
the week in Narula's show by sticking her middle finger at a bemused crowd.
The worked-out bronze machine landed up getting to wear all the hot pants
and the g-strings. Light eyed Aditi Govitrikar, probably the oldest model
around, was looking a tad overworked-strain of handling a film career,
modelling and motherhood?
Perhaps the real gladiators of LIFW were the
spin doctors. Like media manager and socialite Devika Bhojwani with her
one-person team of Aruna Bhatt. Then a horde of walkie talkie-wielding
smooth operators from Burson Marsteller Roger Periera Communications,
the pr agency for the event who were superefficient. And every huge sponsor,
of course, insisted on floating its personal communication experts. So
you had the Lakme, the Sunsilk and, to top it all up, individual pr guys
of the many designers. Well, naturally, you had those who didn't have
pr guys-Delhi's Vijay Arora being one among those feeling lost.
There were minor mishaps too-some couldn't find
manequinns. Jattin Kochhar lost a garment and some wondered why there
were no hangers, only hampers on. Pass it off as Mumbai's answer to that
"left out feeling" they felt so much last year in Delhi. The
city's retro and raunchy and often individualistic fashion week had its
own delights. After all, in spite of there being too many frills and not
many thrills, it's better than being left out. Now that's another story.
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