You could be forgiven for thinking you were at a rock concert if you were at The Leela Kempinski Hotel at Sahar on Monday night as crowds of fashionably dressed girls – screaming and cheering with gusto - could be heard almost a mile away.
The reason? It was the annual fashion show of the Premlila Vithaldas Polytechnic SNDT Women’s University and the graduating students cheered-on as their batch-mates showed off fantastic designs that could easily be mistaken for being straight off the Paris catwalks.
“The sheer amount of talent these young girls displayed tells us just how forward India will be on the world-wide fashion map in the years to come,” said critically acclaimed designer, Babita Malkani, who was amongst the special celebrity invitees.
Designer Hemant Trevedi, who mentored the girls, was “Awed by the array of ideas” while actress Shama Sikandar wanted to “Wear each and every outfit for my TV shows and when I go out with friends!”
As the Head Of Department – Jasmine Sarupria – beamed with pride at her protégées while ace choreographer Achla Sachdev directed the showing with sequences that redefined glamour and fun.
From having the models act like ‘taporis’ on stage for a sequence called “Mumbai to mum-bhai” to getting R.K. Laxman’s famous ‘The Common Man’ to walk on the ramp, the show was as entertaining as it was glamorous.
One sequence had famous models like Carol Gracias, Anchal Kumar and Bhavna Sharma acting like puppets on stage while another sequence saw them all dressed up and ready for a cook-out in the kitchen with spices dangling from the ears and clothes in the hues of mustard, chilli, saffron and turmeric.
The front row was choc-a-bloc with celebrities – right from the young and dynamic Masaba Gupta (who is an ex student of this college) to the legendary and reclusive designer Shahab Durazi (who, true to his temperament, preferred not to socialize or pose too much for the photographers).
Also spotted were designers Amy Billimoria, Malini Aggarwal (of Malaga), Anita Dongre, Riyaz Gangji, Lina Tipnis, Pradeep and Neha Hirani of Kimaya, actress Swaroop Sampat and ex-model Anna Bredmeyer.
From almost a dozen collections, designed by students in groups of twos and threes, few collections were obvious favourites among the audience and judges.
However, it was the KATPUTLI IN CANNES collection (byKhushboo Karnawat, Rishita Kansara and Ruchika Gododia) which garnered the most prestigious Collection Of The Year Award.
With colours and motifs borrowed from Rajasthani puppets, this trio used colours of dry, arid sand to create a sensual collection of resort wear that promises to enliven your holiday experience with and easy and effortless charm
