With Manish Malhotra’s The Empress Story, the curtains came down on Amazon India Couture Week. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, after a gap of five years, took to ramp in a grand shimmery gown. By TEAM VIVA
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan looked more at ease than her Cannes outings, not too eager to please all. And in the company of her one-time fellow models, she sashayed down in a richly gold-embellished burgundy evening gown with a sequinned and laced bolero like she had never left the ramp in the first place.
In a nude and fresh look (thanks to the genius of Mickey Contractor) and brown curls lightly thrown around the shoulders, she let the shimmer of Manish Malhotra adorn her as the showstopper of his “The Empress” collection. If anybody had any doubts about her pulling offJazbaa on her shoulders, this empress-like strut was an apt precursor.
The show had a commemorative value, what with it celebrating 25 years of Malhotra in the business and the launch of his new collection stores in london and Dubai. But truth be told, the lavish blingy designs and elaborately embroidered motifs are what we have seen from the house of Malhotra before. And some items did seem in continuity with creations of the Rohit Bal show an evening ago.
“The Empress Story is influenced by the designer’s passion for reviving centuries-old Indian craftsmanship in a design story that is relevant for global consumers of couture,” Malhotra said.
The colour palette was dominated by warm shades of burgundy, coffee brown, old rose pink, antique gold and shimmery silver. Relief came in the form of pearl grey and dark green. We particularly liked the multi-coloured embroidered birds and nature motifs on a gossamer onion peel-pink number.The silhouettes were the usual tops, voluminous skirts, lehenga-style gowns, shararas and shrugs. The menswear line mainly comprised fitted black jackets and pants with embroidered details on the shoulders and sleeves. There were also a few red velvet jackets on display. Vintage glasses, bow ties and neck ties added a hint of dandy to the collection. The evening also featured hand-crafted shoes (more like lanvin meets desi) for the gentlemen, marking the brand’s first-ever foray into accessories.
“Each outfit in the collection is special as there are limited editions and it presents Indian intricate detailing on classic Western silhouettes, marking a first for the label,” Malhotra said.
The focus shifted to Ash most of the time. “I have known Manish from very long. He was with me right from the beginning when I started my journey so it is certainly a proud moment for me to walk for him as a showstopper. I have viral but I had to be here as I always liked his collection. It’s so special,” said the globally renowned actress.
“Another reason I like to collaborate with Manish is because we both share passion and sincerity for our respective work,” she added.
Aishwarya says she is enjoying being in front of the camera again and looking forward to the release of Jazbaa, which also stars Shabana Azmi, Irrfan, Chandan Roy Sanyal and Jackie Shroff.
“So far the experience has been great. Sanjay has been so nice. The whole cast- Irrfan, Shabana ji, Chandan, Jaggu Dada (Jackie) — everyone has been great. I am glad to be working with them. I do not feel like there has been any gap. I am really enjoying,” the actress said.
And true to Bollywood’s loyalty to Malhotra’s makeover and ensemble skills, the A listers filled up the front rows.Jaya Bachchan showed up all elegant to participate in her daughter-in-law’s moment. She sat next to veteran Shabana Azmi and the duo were flocked post-show by newbies like Kriti Sanon, Aditi Rao Hydari and VJ Sophie Chaudhary. Malhotra’s design colleagues were represented by JJ Valaya and Narendra Kumar. Other interesting drop-ins were by Ayan Ali and boxer Vijender Singh. The Jaanisaar team, who hoped to grab some recall value prior to release, had Imran Abbas and Pernia Qureshi wafting in a little lost. But then that’s the Malhotra factor. He accommodates everybody and gives them a magic tweak.