Show-starter Karan Johar was the slow-starter!
The show-starter was Karan Johar! Once he walked in the show soon started. Well, his buddy Manish Malhotra just could not start the show without him. So, the 9 pm show started at 10.10 pm.
Karan |
The designer partnered with Love & Care, the brand-new premium fabric wash range from Hindustan Unilever, to present his latest festive collection at the opening night of Lakmé Fashion Week Winter/ Festive 2019.
Set against a backdrop of fluid fabric and starry gold in an opulent showcase at Famous Studio, the line was inspired by the brand’s product variants, and divided into three sections – silk in jewel tones, wool from Kashmir and cotton in pastel.
And the shining showstopper was Katrina Kaif, looking lovely in a velvet emerald green lehenga with gold embellishments and an over-exaggerated blouse. Manish Malhotra called his collection Maahrumysha, encompassing his love for fabrics and his belief that fabric is the soulful thread that binds fashion like no other.
Besides the show-starter and showstopper, guests could do their bit of people-watching. For, turning up to watch the show were the likes of Khushi Kapoor, Karisma Kapoor, Amrita Arora, Athiya Shetty, Daisy Shah, Dia Mirza, Chitrangada Singh, Aparshakti Khurana, Sophie Choudhry, Shaina NC, Ananya Birla and Mrunal Thakur among many more.
No pics please: Kishin Mulchandani
Those who were in the party circuit many moons ago would definitely recall the sight of that-time party perennial Kishin Mulchandani. You loved him or you hated him, but you just could not ignore him. He was here, there and everywhere, hopping from one party to another, changing his shirt in the car and spraying perfume. He was loud, he was gregarious, he was in your face, he drank champagne straight from the bottle at times, he threw wild parties.
Then, suddenly, he slipped out of the party scene, for it was not his scene anymore, he preferred private dos where he knew everyone, and not these days with new kids on the block, clicking pics on their cellphones and posting on their social networks.
Flamboyanté |
So, it was a surprise to spot good old Kishin at the party hosted by Amrish Arora to celebrate the 12th anniversary of his Flamboyanté restaurant at World Trade Centre, Cuffe Parade. But then the two know each other from the nightlife days of the past, with clubs called Go Bananas and such. Other one-time party fixtures were also seen, like chocolate lady Zeba Kohli with hubby Rajesh.
And there was another surprise, Kishin who used to pose for photographs with or without a glass did not oblige, he requested he be out of the frame. And the photographers respected him and did not sneakily click away. Of course, as usual he spread his cheer and camaraderie all around and even made some new friends, who you may call millennials.
Athiya |
Wonder what Nachiket Barve was thinking...
Sitting in the front row on day one of Lakme Fashion Week Winter/Festive 2019 was famed fashion designer Nachiket Barve. It was the 28th batch of six Gen Next designers presented by INIFD that opened the week at St. Regis. Perhaps Nachiket was reminiscing about the time, way back in 2008, when he made his debut as a Gen Next designer.
Yes, LFW has brought on the Indian and international fashion scene top designer names like him, Aneeth Arora, Rahul Mishra, Kallol Datta, Masaba Gupta and Ujjawal Dubey to name a few.
It was a trendy start to the five-day week with young designers Sahib Bhatia with his Amaaré and collection called Rule Breaker, Gaurav Singh with label Anatomy and collection Kadali Patram, Ankita Srivastava with label The Little Things Studio and collection Not so Perfect, Akanksha Aggarwal’s with the collection Noié Noéi, Manjushree Saikia with label Ura Maku and collection Dawn to Reality, Stanzin Palmo with Zilcom label and collection Between the Earth and Sky.
Coming back to the front row, spotted was Anil Chopra who started the fashion week, Lakme’s Ashwath Swaminathan and IMG’s Jaspreet Chandok. And the first model on the runway was the tall Mitali Rannorey.
Gos Party |
Politicos let their hair down
Naming snazzy lounges and party places after its pincode is not uncommon. In fact, old timers would remember the good times they had at Sabira Merchant’s Studio 29, named after the pincode of Marine Drive. Now, you have Destination 72.
Townies of that time would have never dreamed of making that trip so far away, in Andheri East. This restaurant and lounge bar is located at ATL Corporate Park on Saki Vihar Road, Powai. Described as a khana, peena, gaana place, Destination 72 threw a lavish launch party that was filled with local politicians and party animals of that suburb.
The young ones had a good time, imbibing Absolut vodka and Jameson whiskey at the bar, besides other spirits, cocktails, wines and beers, and complementing their liquid intake with Indian, pan-Asian and international cuisine, crafted by consultant chef Sebastian Fernandes. Mixologist and bar consultant Naveen Kotyankar made sure everyone was in good cheer.
Yes, the music of the DJ spinning his mixes was in the air and it blended with the cocktail chatter. Destination 72 is the flagship brand of Foodsense Hospitality with directors Vinod Salian and Vikrant Guptaa and other partners.
Flirty at forty
Mermaid to Mumbai maid! That’s how Bandra girl Diandra Soares describes her return from Thailand to India. Yes, the wholesome model who has made waves on the catwalk for so many years decided to make that trip to Phuket and other places to celebrate her turning 40 years old. And she did not take off with her gal pals, as so many girls do.
Diandra |
She went on a solo trip. And seemed to have had a ball, posting all those bikini pics on social media, showing off her tattoos and attitude. Naughty at forty? Foxy, was more like it, and flirty as hell. She also has a sense of humour, commenting on her ‘tyres’ and fat rolls and back fat and love handles.
She has worked out all her life, but admits having hypothyroidism and gets bigger but keeps at it, staying fit without starting or going on fad diets. Her advice: just find a healthy balance and not be an obsessive extremist when size is concerned.
Diandra |
What did she eat there? Tuna mousse, truffle cream soup, beef rib eye steak, creamy potatoes, char-grilled asparagus, sinful desserts. She also drank, cheers!
