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Go to the back row!
Designer moves celebs to the third row to lose the hype around the front row at fashion shows.
Wendell Rodricks has done what no other fashion designer had the guts to do. Tired of wannbe page 3 socialites and stars fighting over front row seats, the designer has decided to make all celebs sit in the third row instead of the front, at his show during Mumbai’s ongoing Lakme Fashion Week.
“I am so sick of front row fights that I have shifted the front row to the third row. I don’t care who sits in the front row. People are too hungry to be seen. I want to trash the whole concept of front row,” says Rodricks who has pushed back his celebrity guests such as Arshad Warsi, Maria Goretti and Simone Singh, calling them real celebrities.
With Delhi’s couture week around the corner, we checked if Delhi celebrities, all used to being seated in the front row, would take kindly to be moved to the back. They are not amused. Socialite Tanisha Mohan says, “Your importance is measured by where you’re seated. If I am made to sit in the third row, my image will obviously be affected. Having celebs in the front row also gives visibility to the designer in the media. Media will laugh at us and the designer if we sit in the third row.” Another page 3 regular, entrepreneur Shabnam Singhal says, “If you’re important, you deserve to be in the front row.”
Designers, however, stand by Rodrick’s move. Designer Ritu Beri says, “Shows are not about rows. If you’re confident, you’d have no hang ups being seated anywhere. Some people have such big egos that they insist on the front row just to show off.”
Designer Rina Dhaka agrees. “It’s fantastic. It’ll make things easier for designers who’re bombarded with front row requests.” Restaurateur Shiv Karan Singh says the front-row business is very petty. “It’s those who are desperate for a photo-op who throw a tantrum.”
What do you think? Is it a good idea to finish the front-row business? Tell us on www.facebook.com/htcity
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