On Day 5, drama trumped pret at Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week

We’ve come to expect some razzmatazz from any Rohit Bal show, so guests weren’t surprised to find opulent gold curtains, a raised glass ramp and lotus posts when they were being seated in the packed show area for the finale. However, when the curtain was raised—Bal sent the models hurtling down in a hodge podge of designs, some of the gothic wear reminiscent of his last grand finale at the Delhi Fashion Week (DFW) in March. The show, “Yasas”, a tribute to the splendour and grandeur of the golden peacock tried to resurrect a regal era with luxe anarkali kurtas, jodhpur pants, heavily embellished floor length jackets and cream sherwanis. A visibly nervous Ranbir Kapoor in a cream sherwani, and Katrina Kaif in a short satin dress had guests cheering madly from the aisles. A surprise model was Varun Bahl in a printed jacket walking with élan. Meanwhile, a 15 minute dance presentation from the much feted Prince Group from Orissa, winners of the reality show India’s Got Talent had the audience spell bound by their Krishna dance even though it got a bit tedious by the end. “The presentation was spectacular but the clothes were nothing special,” remarked Cindy Ho, Fashion Director of Villa Moda, a 12 boutique chain in Middle East.

Before Bal, Lecoanet Hemant, who’ve in the past paraded oddballs on the ramp (recall a Rajasthani belly dancer in a gown and a jewellery designer dressed as a bell boy at DFW). This time as well, Didier Lecoanet and Hemant Sagar cranked out an equally entertaining show with 52 different autumn looks in a lengthy show. From a black wool jacket, pin stripe trousers and multi coloured patched trousers, the show got great feedback, especially from fellow designers Rohit Gandhi and Rahul Khanna sitting in the front row. One of the unlikely models peddling LH’s clothes was 16-year-old Robin Wegner, whose mother Sagarika Wegner is a huge supporter of the brand. Meanwhile socialite Simar Duggal strutted down in her own stunning black LH evening gown while writer Ira Trivedi presented her second book, walking stiffly in a black sari paired with a cotton shirt.

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