Blenders Pride Fashion Week: It's all about fun

All in a day: Rehearsals for Day 3 DNA

An air of excitement filled the venue on Day 3, three hours to the first show. Models were seen lounging around, getting their cups of coffee to start the day and designers were hanging around too, filling in on some much-needed gossip and morning pleasantries. Life does start late at Bangalore Fashion Week, and nobody’s complaining. Who would, really?

Some interesting heady music filled the air as choreographer Sheetal Sharma rehearsed in the main venue. The models seem to have taken to the lazy atmosphere far too easily and are late for a rehearsal, again! “I love how relaxed this edition has been and while that does give me panic attacks at times, it gives us time to breathe and space ourselves correctly. The crowds are getting better and the themes are giving us choreographers a high, that’s just incomparable. There are times for seriousness and times for fun and an atmosphere like this, allows both these times to combine, quite sanely,” says Sheetal who looks resplendent, even though she’s nursing an injured back.

“We went wild yesterday and today seems to give us more opportunities to do just that, all over again,” says DJ Goapu. “I freaked out at the Daniel Hechter show, played some really heavy music that contrasted quite vividly with the other shows as did the Mustafa Hassan Ali show — a designer who’s the biggest name in East Africa,” he adds.

While the choreographers and DJs are excited, Day 3 also brought excitement to stylist Robert Naorem and his team of 11 artistes. They were all looking forward to the night’s finale — Swapnil Shinde. “Swapnil asked us to go berserk and that’s just what we did.It’s tough work, yes, but the challenge only makes our efforts worthwhile. People assume we don’t have a good time, being back stage all the time — they should walk in and see what fun we really have,” says Robert.

The designers love the energy too. Designer Nikita Verma, who’s already showcased at BFW this season, says, “The energy has been getting bigger and so have the crowds. It’s nice to see that Western clothes by Indian designers are also getting a highlight this year and that excites me.”

Designer Sandeep Mukherjee shares the same enthusiasm.

“Looking at how things are falling into place just makes me smile. I’ve already received orders for my clothes, even before I showcased them. Can a designer really ask for more?” Sandeep enthuses.

Tensions are finally running wild, but the ultimate sense of fun hasn’t disappeared. As model Acquin Paes put it rightly, “This is a lot of hard work, but when one thinks that we can end tonight, partying away like mad and getting drunk, over good fashion, good taste and some really talented people — it all just seems like the best thing in the world.” Enough said.