Shilpa Shetty ups the glam quotient in IPL

I wouldn’t be surprised if a designer was inspired by the pitch or even decided to host his latest fashion show at the Brabourne even as the teams’ uniforms keep getting spiffier. The beige-blue switch of Rajasthan Royals is fresh and reminds one of the sands and skies of their home state. The gold crust of Kolkata Knight Riders is in homage to its owner Shah Rukh Khan’s megawatt appeal. Bangalore’s red-suited Royal Challengers can’t belong to anyone else other than Dr Vijay Mallya.

Merchandisers are especially raking it in this year with several thousand spectators cheering in their favourite team’s colours.

And thank you Mehr Jessia for making fashion shows fun again. Upchuck the formalities of fashion weeks,Jessia puts together a glamour-only showing in each city as an after-party to each one of the 55 matches held.

The designers are the finest names in the business. So Kolkata sees Manish Malhotra,Anamika Khanna,Dev r Nil and Kallol Dutta; Delhi sees Malini Ramani,Namrata Joshipura and Rohit Gandhi and Rahul Khanna; Mumbai will have Tarun Tahiliani,Monisha Jaising (she’s finally back),Nandita Mahtani and Rocky S; while Jaipur will have Rina Dhaka,Ashish Soni,Vikram Phadnis and the gifted Atsu. Gaurav Gupta and Varun Bahl take Chennai and Aki Narula,Ramona Narang and Surily Goel head to Mohali (I’m waiting to ask Ramona about the stir she and her oomphy clothes will create in Mohali,she’ll barely be able to speak in the midst of incessant giggling).

Hopefully,at least here,film stars will be kept on front rows,models will be the only ones pirouetting on the head ramp and cricketers will be smash-drunk and in the mood to party.

The IPL has always been a platform to the franchise owners to make their personal statements,even though the film stars’ teams may have had fortunes as fluctuating as whimsical fashion seasons. Remember SRK’s fiafa,the chequered Pathani scarf,in the second season of the IPL? Shetty’s body-snug T-shirts and jeans,and her bumblebee shades,bring enough glamour and chutzpah to cricket. While Preity Zinta’s impassioned expressions absolutely contrast her effortlessly chic dressing choices.

Sachin Tendulkar’s and Shane Warne’s gelled hairstyles will have David Beckham get up and notice. And Gautam Gambhir’s new crop has the ladies tuning into Delhi Daredevils’ matches.

After all,cricket is nothing if not show business,no?

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