HDIL Brings out Best of Couture

Source: The Stitch Times 'October 2008'

The couturists in India, who must have been wanting toshowcase their creativity at a forum other than Wills Lifestyle India FashionWeek, had a reason to be pleased, for, they got what they wanted - an exclusiveevent for the couture in India.

The inaugural HDIL India Couture Week was held at Mumbaifrom September 16 through 21 September 2008. Two theatrically produced showswere held each day of the event at 1930 and 2100 hours. Each designer was givenapproximately 22 hours and a sizable budget to create their 'fantasy' environmentwithin the main show area.

The event showcased 11 of India's finest couturiers aimingat providing a platform for Indian couture in the same way that Wills LifestyleIndia Fashion Week has been a powerful stage for Indian prt-a-porter. HDILIndia Couture Week has been made possible by the support of principal sponsorHDIL, one of the largest listed real estate players in India, which has madesignificant investments in retail development catering to the Indian fashionIndustry.

Sunil Sethi, President, FDCI said, "We are delighted toformally announce the staging of India's first Couture Fashion Week, HDIL IndiaCouture Week. This event will be a celebration of Indian fashion and willfeature some of the country's finest couture designers. After a period ofrelative unrest in the industry, it is wonderful to see the fashion communitycoming together on one platform to progress the cause of Indian fashion. Iwould like to extend the thanks of the FDCI to our Partner HDIL for making thislandmark event possible."

Sunny Dewan Wadhawan, Managing Director, HDIL remarked, "Itis with great pleasure that we announce today HDIL's association with the India'sFashion Industry's apex body, FDCI, and India's newest fashion event HDIL IndiaCouture Week. We are proud to be associated with HICW, an event created tocelebrate India's fashion heritage by showcasing leading couture designers ofthe day. This move into fashion is in broader synergy with the Group's longterm strategies and objectives. We believe fashion, especially in the area ofcouture and bridal wear, is a central interest in the lives of a greatproportion of Indians. We would like to be part of ensuring that India's fashionheritage is preserved and nurtured. Our core belief at HDIL is in 'CreatingValue' and with HDIL India Couture Week we would like to 'create value' for theIndian fashion industry."

The list of designers participating in the event comprisedAnamika Khanna, Ashish Soni, J J Valaya, Manav Gangwani, Manish Malhotra, PallaviJaikishan, Ritu Kumar, Rohit Bal, Suneet Varma, Tarun Tahiliani and Varun Bahl.

The Grand Finale

Flamboyant designer Rohit Bal, I mean Guddu as he is more familiarly known, brought the curtain down on the inaugural HDIL India Couture Week (HDIL ICW) at Grand Hyatt, Mumbai in true Bollywood style when he merrily danced on the ramp after his show got over. Bal and his showstopper -Olympic bronze medal winner Vijender Singh - as also the other models, sashayed down the runway in carefree spirit, singing and dancing to Bollywood hits on Sunday night to signal a colourful end to the six-day extravaganza.

Rohit Bal blended surprise with flamboyance, with very wearable clothes that would do any wearer proud. The drama quotient was kept at a high pitch, with classic silhouettes interspersed with the fantastic and heavily-worked ensembles alternating with smoothly fitted, layered gowns. Burnished silver rosettes on silver, copper gota and dull gold were used effectively in saris, skirts and gowns. Coloured velvet panels inspired by perhaps Jacob's coat of many colours were a recurring theme through the evening's show, and could be seen on jackets and lehengas. There was the token nod to the bridal client, with zardozi sherwanis and embellished salwars, and even a velvet dhoti. Gold, red, and black, with embroidery setting off the textures, showed off the perfection of the gowns. The showstopper was, of course, Vijender Singh, who looked very dapper in his black sherwani with little lines ziz-zagging through it, and when Gudda danced a jig and walked up the ramp with the Olympic star, it was a mood hard to beat, and a fitting finale to the week.

Bollywood's favourite designer Manish Malhotra showcased his collection prior to Bal's and predictably, this had a very "filmy" touch to it. Unlike the previous shows, the final two had Bollywood music as their background scores and this certainly added the Indian filmy essence to the collections.

Musing over the era of elegance to capture glimpses that transform a dream's magic into reality through visual expressions of widespread civilizations ... Manish Malhotra celebrated couture with his covetable glamorous compilation. The seductively gilded Victorian period that in abundance pronounced self glorification has aroused an aura within the designer par excellence to rekindle the superlative with the ethnics of Persian, Turkish and Spanish orientations.

The collection played with the norms of design, to artfully draw inspiration from the details reflected in the source of ideas. Unpredictable amalgamations inspired from the culture pot which culminate in a sharp yet elaborate dcor. Magnificence being the highlight, accurately constructed ensembles in lavish velvets and skills were tinted in deep jeweled shades of ruby reds, emerald greens and sapphire blues. The layers had been painstakingly crafted and tactfully embellished with novel ornamentations, rendering an authentic flavor of its origin.

Varun Bahl rewrote history by marrying the Mughal-Rajput dynasty with the Elizabethan dynasty to create a phantasmagorical epic. He presented the contemporary fashions of the descendants of this blue-blooded lineage.

Opulence combined with sumptuousness to create extravagant yet soigne silhouettes. Outrageous headgear defined lavish personal space and communicated a singular signature. Sublime textures flower into quirky, original shapes. The fanfare of trumpets is set to a new symphony the unique style of Varun Bahl couturier.

Suneet Verma's couture collection was inspired by the Shakespearean play, "Mid-Summer Night's Dream". Elves, angels, birds and butterflies make for a theatrical and lyrical operatic presentation. A specially created enchanted forest with twinkling stars and moonlight dictated the dress code and the seduction of each of its characters. Sheer chiffons in beautiful hues of pinks, lilacs, aquas and beiges with velvet and gold lam appliqu with a generous sprinkling of CRYSTALLIZED Swarovski Elements, sheer nude net saris with thread embroidery and net and chiffon three dimensional handmade flowers worn with seductive corsets and backless blouses with thread embroidery and CRYSTALLIZED Swarovski Elements were a sheer delight.

Accessories were specially handcrafted headgear in silk and organza, with lyrical forest elements of twigs, stems, floral buds, bees and butterflies. There were also knee high embroidered socks as an alternative to the churidar, to be worn with tunics for a more contemporary feel.

Tarun Tahiliani's collection "All that we are and more" was a bride's dream -opulent, grand and majestic- and yet contemporary. The line, in fact, was the perfect fusion of the traditional and the contemporary. The line featured heavy crystallized Swarovski-draped dresses, as well as saris, kurtas, churidars, stoles, evening dresses, jackets, shrugs, heavy embroidered skirts, kaftans and sherwani's. But the real fusion came into the picture when a model walked down the ramp in jeans and a heavily embroidered short kurta- a look that was absolutely different and grabbed the attention of the audience. With the designer using a variety of silks, brocade, tulle and velvets, the colour palette featured gold, pink, rusted orange, maroon and red. In terms of embroidery, zardozi dominated the space.

The showstopper of the evening undoubtedly was Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty who has been regularly walking the ramp for Tahiliani for a number of years. The actress was dressed in a red lehenga studded with crystals and loaded with zardozi work. Commenting on the attire, Shetty said: "I feel like run away bride! I just love the dress."

The event saw most of the 11 participating designers showcasing bridal collections. However, there were some designers who did come up with interesting collections like Kolkata-based Anamika Khanna who gave the Indian dhoti a completely new dimension and transformed it into wonderful cowl-shaped dresses.

As expected, the event saw a plethora of celebrities making their presence felt on the ramp as showstoppers, while others preferred to sit in the front row and enjoy the show.

Bollywood's Glamourous Touch

Bollywood actors Priyanka Chopra, Neha Dhupia, Riya and Raima Sen walked the ramp for Ritu Kumar whereas Karishma Kapoor, Shilpa Shetty and Sonam Kapoor did so for Manav Gangwani, Tarun Tahiliani and Anamika Khanna respectively. Apart from Bollywood actors, reigning Miss India World 2008 Parvathy Omanakuttan, Miss India Earth 2008 Tanvi Vyas and Miss India Earth 2006 Amruta Patki also walked the ramp for Ritu Kumar.

Says Ritu Kumar, "I am actually rather surprised that it has taken this long for India to have its very own couture week considering luxury and craftsmanship are part of India's rich culture and heritage."

"The response has been overwhelming and we are looking forward to another season," HDIL Managing Director Sunny Wadhawan told. Amid all this, the event did manage to get some brickbats. From day one, when the inaugural show started an hour late, the legacy continued till the final show.

(With inputs from FDCI)