Indian couture fiesta ends in Bollywood style

Flamboyant designer Rohit Bal brought the curtain down on the inaugural HDIL India Couture Week in true Bollywood style when he merrily danced on the ramp after his show got over.

Flamboyant designer Rohit Bal aka Guddu brought the curtain down on the inaugural HDIL India Couture Week (HDIL ICW) here in true Bollywood style when he merrily danced on the ramp after his show got over.

Bal and his showstopper - Olympic bronze medal winner Vijender Singh - as also the other models, sashayed down the runway in carefree spirit, singing and dancing to Bollywood hits Sunday night to signal a colourful end to the six-day extravaganza.

Bollywood's favourite designer Manish Malhotra showcased his collection prior to Bal's and predictably, this had a very "filmy" touch to it.

Unlike the previous shows, the final two had Bollywood music as their background scores and this certainly added the Indian essence to the collections.

Bal's collection was inspired by the opulent costumes worn by the Mughal royalty with a contemporary twist, while Malhotra's line was meant for the newly-wed couple.

The India Couture Week was the latest initiative of the Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI), which annually stages two editions of the hugely successful Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week (WIFW) in New Delhi.

The event saw most of the 11 participating designers showcasing bridal collections - to the point of monotony. In short, it was old wine in a new bottle for the majority.

However, there were some designers who did come up with interesting collections like Kolkata-based Anamika Khanna who gave the Indian dhoti a completely new dimension and transformed it into wonderful cowl-shaped dresses.

Varun Behal's collection saw the marriage of Mughal and Rajput dynasties with the Elizabethan age that created extravagant yet sober silhouettes, grabbing the attention of the audience.

Then there were designers who managed to steal the hearts of the audience with their innovations with the ramp.

Designer Suneet Verma's "Enchanted Forest" theme had twinkling stars and moonlight as the backdrop, a pool in the centre of the runway, beautiful cutouts hanging from the rooftops and big branches reaching out to the audience.

As expected, the event saw a plethora of celebrities making their presence felt on the ramp as showstoppers, while others preferred to sit in the front row and enjoy the show.

Bollywood actors Priyanka Chopra, Neha Dhupia, Riya and Raima Sen walked the ramp for Ritu Kumar whereas Karishma Kapoor, Shilpa Shetty and Sonam Kapoor did so for Manav Gangwani, Tarun Tahiliani and Anamika Khanna respectively.

Apart from Bollywood actors, reigning Miss India World 2008 Parvathy Omanakuttan, Miss India Earth 2008 Tanvi Vyas and Miss India Earth 2006 Amruta Patki also walked the ramp for Ritu Kumar.

"The response has been overwhelming and we are looking forward to another season," HDIL managing director Sunny Wadhawan told IANS.

Amid all this, the event did manage to get some brickbats. From day one, when the inaugural show started an hour late, the legacy continued till the final show.