Shweta Shiware brings you a round-up of the hottest trends, filmi faces on ramp and off it, and the latest buzz that surrounds the ongoing Lakme Fashion Week
Shweta Shiware brings you a round-up of the hottest trends, filmi faces on ramp and off it, and the latest buzz that surrounds the ongoing Lakme Fashion Week
If it wasn't the sinister look that Bollywood actor John Abraham wore, then it was the theme of the collection he walked the ramp for that left the audience spooked. On Sunday night, Mumbai designer and John's good friend Rocky S showed a line inspired by the dead and blood-thirsty, one that he claims was inspired by a "vintage vampire wedding". 
Rocky is on a roll. After surprising us with his bohemian rhapsody at Menswear Fashion Week in Delhi, he reconnected with design in this Glam meets Goth collection at LFW. For once, the front row audience comprising hard-to-please fashion editors didn't really care about who was walking the ramp or making the front row sparkle with glamour. The gothic punk theme was enough to hold your attention.
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It was a dark collection, literally and otherwise, playing with black, steel grey, rich violets and shades of wine, in a design story defined by classic suits. The straitjacket suit style crafted in silk blends, tweed, felt and garbardine was embellished with a hint of brocade and lace to create a highlight on the sleeves, back, and pockets.
Girlfriend Bipasha Basu cheered from row one while John walked the ramp. But she was miles away from colleague Katrina Kaif, who she is known to fight a cold war with.
Lecoanet Hemant
Takeaway trend: Hoods are hot
Paris-based designer duo Lecoanet and Hemant arrived out-of-the-blue on the Indian fashion scene, and instantly earned the reputation of producing refreshingly charming designs, for both, men and women.
Their Re-Love-ulion themed collection celebrated freedom by discarding all norms listed in the fashion book. The fairly simple line-up evoked a few edgy emotions, with sporty tie-up edges on formal jackets and trench coats, relaxed trousers, and treated jeans. 
The show marked the launch of Ayurganic organic clothing options for when you indulge in yoga and meditation.
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They claim the fabric used is permeated with special herbs and oils to protect against synthetic chemicals. In effect, if you wear it while relaxing, meditating or even while sleeping, you will have the fabric aids in absorbing toxins from the body. Fashion at its healing best?
Inputs by Kasmin Fernandes
Celebrating a decade
Lakme Fashion Week completes a decade this year, and celebrating the occasion was a show that saw some of the biggest names in Indian fashion (Manju & Bobby Grover, Mona Pali, Raghavendra Rathore, Ritu Beri, Rohit Bal, Arjun Khanna, Rina Dhaka, Suneet Varma, Narendra Kumar, Manish Malhotra, Malini Ramani, Aki Narula, Anshu, JJ Valaya, Monisha Jaising, Varun Bahl, Anamika Khanna, Tarun Tahiliani and Sabyasachi Mukherjee) get together on the same platform on Friday night. For a change, there were no Bollywood showstoppers to steal the thunder away from design.
Bollywood Barometer
filmi funfair On Saturday night, the venue turned into a mela, with TV cameramen in sudden combat mode. Past experience says it could onlyu00a0 mean the possible arrival of film stars. Bollywood costume designer Manish Malhotra's show didn't have a filmi showstopper, but his friends from the industry and socialtes he dresses, turned up to cheer him on. Actresses (above) Amrita Rao, Kajol, Love Aaj Kal director Imtiaz Ali (was spotted early that morning at a Juhu salon getting a blow dry for the event) and socialite Sheetal Mafatlal were seen in front row, together with Urmila Matondkar and Sangita Bijlani. And then, with actors Aftab Shivdasani (extreme right; the jacket could barely stay buttoned up around his suddenly expanded girth), Manoj Bajpai, Shreyas Talpade and Prateek Babbar (right) walking the ramp on Sunday, the barometer swung in favour of glamour rather than fashion.
The Xylophone Man
His fleeting tune is the one everyone at the show venue hastens up to. This tall and lanky teenager is the guy who ropes in the crowds, literally. Fifteen minutes before every show, you'll see 20 year-old Dhruv Chopra float across the venue, playing a xylophone. The moment they hear his tune, hobnobbers, backslappers, air kissers and the layabouts drop conversation and rush into the auditorium. When we caught up with the elusive show-starter, we discovered he is actually the boss' son. "I enjoy working here. The atmosphere is great. We tried using a bell, but it didn't work. The din of conversation drowned it out," says Lakme advisor Anil Chopra's son, a second year HR College student.
Who has the final say on finale?
Mumbai veterans shocked at finale designer choice. Lakme says it's about freedom of choice
Lakme Fashion Week (LFW), a 5-day event that's brought together Indian designers to showcase Spring/Summer 2010 designs, has a busy line-up. But it's a list that's missing four of the most acclaimed names from the fraternity. Narendra Kumar, Arjun Khanna, Wendell Rodricks and Sabyasachi Mukherjee aren't going to put up solo shows, although Wendell styled Saturday's GenNext show, and Narendra will present a sponsor show on Tuesday.
The buzz is that it has something to do with Delhi-based veteran Tarun Tahiliani being chosen by Lakme to do the finale scheduled for September 22. With the much-talked about split in the Indian fashion industry that saw the annual event bifurcate into two, one Mumbai-centric and another Delhi driven, those who've "supported" LFW feel their commitment has been questioned. While Narendra expressed "shock" at the news, Wendell said Lakme should've picked a designer who had participated at LFW for at least 3 seasons. "It doesn't matter that one of the established names here wasn't picked," he stresses. "They could have given an upcoming name that's participated season-after-season, like Rahul Mishra for instance, the chance to pull off the finale. Tarun has participated only in sponsored shows. He hasn't contributed a single rupee to Lakme's coffers."
Arjun stresses that it's not so much about who was picked. "I have nothing against Tarun. But friendship aside, it was jolt to hear that he is doing the finale. We've supported the event, stuck around with it. It wouldn't have been an issue if he was an active member of LFW." Anil Chopra, advisor, Lakme India, isn't in the mood to buy that argument. He has a question: "Last season, we had Delhi-based Anamika Khanna do the finale. She's never shown at LFW. Why wasn't a hue and cry raised then?" For Lakme, he says, it's about which designer is able to best interpret the season's theme, a process that starts a year prior to the event, seeing the theme translate into a product range that's then translated into a line of garments by a chosen designer. "Since LFW was founded four years ago, we've stressed that designers are free to choose any platform, even multiple platforms, to showcase their work. We too should be allowed to pick a designer from anywhere. It's about free choice," he argues.
Sabyasachi, the Kolkata wonder boy who was discovered at Lakme 5 years ago, believes fashion weeks in India "have become a bit of a joke. It's about dividing, fighting and patching up". But Sabya says it's important to note that Lakme is a corporate giant that chooses finale designers based on a theme. "This year, the theme is glamour. When you think glamour, you think Manish Malhotra and Tarun Tahiliani. Anil chose Tarun. It's his choice."
Arguing that the "support system" in question is a debatable one, Chopra highlights instances of several big names having participated at LFW, and simultaneously at Kolkata and Bangalore fashion weeks. "We now have 8 fashion weeks. If being supportive means participating only at LFW, I'm not sure most of them will fit the 'support group' bill."
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