PRAGMATISM WITH A DASH OF DRAMA IS MANISH'S MANTRA
Akash Arora (HT City)

Manish Arora – the enfant terrible of Indian fash frat – cannot guarantee “electrifying shock” at his Lakme India Fashion Week show tonight at 7 p.m. But he insists that he “hasn’t changed much from the last time he showed his collection at the Spring-Summer 2002 Bacardi show at the Taj Mahal Hotel. But isn’t LIFW all about exhibiting practical clothes and not trying to shock the audience with unauthentic drama? “My clothes have been extremely wearable. It’s just that the way I style my shows makes them a wee bit too dramatic!” says the designer who restrains from designing too much of men’s wear. “In our country men are still not daring enough. They shy away from experimenting. My line is for bold individuals who wear their attitude on their sleeves,” he adds.

His ready-to-wear line for women includes a whole range of appliquéd, sequined and hand-embroidered tops worn over satin skirts. “I haven’t worked on lowers except skirts. I wanted to explore the world of skirts trying out different silhouettes. As far as tops go I have sequinned them in geometric patterns giving them a contemporary look. I have also worked on hard rock-inspired T-shirts,” says Manish who did not participate in the LIFW last year.

“I was busy launching my label Fish Fry with multiple shows across the country. I simply had no time to work on another LIFW line. There wasn’t much of business response from my first LIFW participation except a little hype. But this year I’m expecting real buyers. In fact, a few inquiries have already been received at my exhibition stall and I hope for a few business tie-ups this year,” he signs off.