Perfectly presented

Elaborate sets, grand designs with lots of bling and a touch of romance marked day three, writes Vinod Nair.

Now the ongoing HDIL India Couture Week seems to have settled and is in a cruising mode. Being located away from south Mumbai, shows may still wait for people to filter in and then start (45 minutes late, usually). On Day Three, it was a delight to see that the chosen designers for the day, Manav Gangwani and Suneet Varma, really made an effort to show couture in the manner couture should be presented. Both the designers presented lines that were an eclectic mix of Indian and Western silhouettes.

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Manav’s runway had a winding stairway as a backdrop with an all-royal touch in terms of golden hues and patterns. His creations, too (barring a couple of things, like the outfit with a trail that didn’t quite look alright, and the few men who walked had the same look in velvet pants and embroidered sherwanis), bore the look of high fashion with embroidery and crystal work on the surface. I would say this line was the best that Manav has presented so far. I would say the same and more about the collection presented by Suneet Varma. You may recall that a few days ago in Delhi, Suneet had to call off his annual show just a few minutes before it was scheduled to start because of the bomb blasts in the city that day.

Suneet came out with 58 pieces of exquisitely crafted couture — some with clean surface and some with a stylish sprinkling of crystals and embroidery. His clever interpretation of silhouettes never bore an all-Indian feeling. Instead, he chose to explain his concept — based on Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream — in a controlled yet elaborate fashion.

If designers make an effort to present shows the way it happened on the third day, I think the Couture Week will leave a lasting memory. After all, even gourmet food, if not served right, may not taste the same.