Of geishas and bolly bling

Varun Bahl held his show in Japan. Don't know if it was Tokyo or Kyoto, but there were plenty of cherry blossom mainly growing out of model’s hairdos, and the music was right, as was the make-up — oh so geisha. A little bit of a mix up though, for what are geisha girls doing in bridal wear…wish fulfillment perhaps!

The organisers were perfectly cued in. The air conditioning was tuned to a Japanese winter’s day, and the blast came straight from Mount Fuji! But the clothes made it worthwhile.

Taking his theme to the next level of perfection he is known for, Varun managed to create Indian looks that were both fetching and off the beaten path.

So you saw the layering and the embroidery and the shimmer elements coming together in a way both exciting and off-beat. The silhouettes were varying, ranging from saris to skirts with fitted quilted tops that tied around the waist, to ghagras. Only the obi, mercifully was missing.

One more question that begs to be answered, why, when there are two ramps, and only two shows, and the first ramp is free after 10 the night before, should each evening's show begin more than an hour late? Unless the organisers are hoping the happy haze the free flowing liquor provides will make everything in the ramp look like high fashion.

Manish Malhotra's show was packed to the aisles…and had men and women walking the ramp. Some of the men's jackets were interesting, and the women wore…no prizes for the right guess.

Manish was pure Manish…swishing, swirling skirts, ghagras, multi panelled saris and itsy bitsy blouses that challenged modesty. Pretty, wearable, but the question that hung in the air was, does one need a Couture Week to show this line?

Perhaps to let the star struck get a long look at Kareena and Saif. When the stars become the highlight of a show, the designer needs to do some deep thinking indeed!