If fashion was a time machine, Suneet Varma would be it’s chief operator. Recreating the magic of an era gone by, with all the nostalgia attached to it and transporting an entire crowd of eagle-eyed fashion watchers who miss nothing, is a tough task. Varma’s re-imaginings of La Belle Epoque of fashion in fin de siecle France, when willowy women wore turbans stylishly wrapped around their heads, was a resounding success. The designer brought to life all the love of luxe and decadence that the era is well known for-- flapper-inspired saris, tassles and hot-waved hair. We loved the powder blue saris with intricate patterns of flowers and butterflies, all brought to life by the startling brilliance of Swarowski crystals. Our one complaint? That after a point the clothes began to seem a tad repetitive, with the same drapes and motifs being played out in different colours.

Of course, the true attraction of the evening was the line of purses that Varma had designed for Judith Leiber. The designer, in keeping with Leiber’s reputation for sinfully opulent designs, went all out with crystal embellishments in the bags. The house gave a huge hand to Varma as he strode out at the end of his show, proudly holding up an SV monogrammed bag that Leiber had presented to him. Buddies Ravi Bajaj, Nandita Mahtani and Nisha Javeri even went so far as to give Varma a standing ovation. Well-deserved, we’d say.

Manav Gangwani’s show earlier in the evening expectedly had Bollywood denizens in the front row. Raveena Tandon (scarlet lipped and scary in black) and Dia Mirza seem to have become a fixture at all the shows this time. We also spotted Soha Ali Khan, dressed in a knotted Gangwani churidar-kurta, accompanied by Kunal Khemu. Going by how joined-at-the-hip the two were, we’re sure they no longer expect us to believe they’re not a couple. Given that Zayed Khan was walking the ramp for Gangwani, we would have expected more representation from the Khan family, but sister Farah and mother Zarine hooted and cheered loud enough for everyone else. The show itself had come as a pleasant surprise.

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