Bollywoods favourite designer Manish Malhotras show on Day 4 of the FDCI Delhi Couture Week was a high-voltage drama. Right from the sets, which resembled a palace (and could be straight out of an elaborate Bollywood Karan Johar or a Yash Raj film) to the gorgeous clothes both lived up to the hype. The fact that the show was one of the most awaited was pretty clear when crowds poured into the waiting area, slowly filling up the area so much that people had to constantly push each other for space or to even move a few inches, a rare sight. (I mean how often does one witness a bunch of immaculately dressed, push each other around like it was a kumbh mela!) The stage area was a full house with many guests swarming around to catch a glimpse of his creations.
He showcased what he does best, purely bridal clothes and his was probably the first show in the couture week to be headlined by a male model (shirtless at that), and featured clothes for both the bride and the groom. Speaking about the collection he said, The bridal season is starting soon, so as you can see there all old world gararas and shararas, very 1950s. The colours were corals and pinks, very 60s, its all very old Muslim culture, I love those shararas and gararas with lots and lots of volume. This is one collection that has taken me the longest to create. There was a lot of work from Kashmir, the tila and the zari work. There are a very few saris in the collection, as I wanted that old world feel. Even the one that you saw on stage was like a garara at the bottom.
Bollywood solidarity was apparent as A-listers attended Malhotras show. While Karan Johar accompanied by the actress of his new film, Aila Bhatt was seen cheering from the front row, actress Katrina Kaif was the showstopper for his show. Speaking about her and the perfect bride Malhotra said, “I think for me the bride is beautiful, contemporary, someone who is very sure, she likes the old world charm and likes Indian clothes but at the same time there is some modernity to her. And I think that is what Katrina represents. Katrina who walked the ramp in a 10-kilo off-white and gold lehenga sizzled on the ramp and shutterbugs scoured to get the perfect shot. Being back on the ramp, like her early days in B-town got back some memories. It felt very different then. Eight years ago when I used to model the rush the excitement was different. As a model you have just 2-3 minutes to change and get out there. Today the experience was different.
The reactions to Manish Malhotras collection however were not as different from his previous work. Many thought that although each creation was beautiful in its own right, it wasnt something of a surprise. Karan Johar and an exuberant FDCI president, Sunil Sethi thought differently though. Both when speaking to the media declared this was the best Manish Malhotra collection showcased till date. We leave that for you to decide.
(See images of the show above.)
Text by Treesha Datta