Manish Malhotra’s couture show was grand but predictable. There were just about hints of innovation
Expected. A Manish Malhotra show will be starry, opulent, sheer, blingy, swishy and grand with the hype and hoopla of topline Bollywood presence. Expected. A dishy Fawad Khan will have women hooting for him with full gusto, overlooking his wearables and taken in by his bearded sobriety and gait (The guy loved all the attention and lapped it up with an elegant smile, if a smile could be called that). Expected. Deepika Padukone beating all the tiredness of her overseas shoots and becoming the showstopper in a red velvet lehenga, completely enmeshed in badla work across a never-ending trail and a croppedcholi blouse, a cocktail bride look that has been around for a long time but looking scorching simply because it is on a different diva this time.
That’s the thing about designer Manish Malhotra, who commemorated 11 years in the industry with a 50-piece rollout of his line at the opening night of the FDCI India Couture Week. It’s expected he won’t cross the predictable and familiar, no matter what a couture show implies. It is perhaps okay for a couturist of his standing to retain a few signature accents but does that mean one should overdo a template so that couture after couture season, the designs look assembly lineIJ The Persian Story may have been a sales pitch but the warm colour palette, the royal gush, embellished excesses, architectural motifs, the indulgent hand-woven gold embroidery adorning sheer and velvet fabrics, the abundance of maroon and red are all what we have seen before. One may argue that in India couture rarely steps out of the bridal-festive zone but if our artistes are not going to break the mould, who willIJ
We wish Manish, given his standing, could risk stepping out of the comfort zone a bit more. For there were indeed some smart innovations in his bouquet, tucked away between the folds of his largesse. And despite Fawad Khan making godspeed with his fluid palazzo pants and black achkan, it was the other men who had the better overlays. We particularly liked the red and fawn-coloured check combos the boys strutted out in, sometimes in throws and lapels. The double lapel, some of them contrasting, on shortgalabandhs was another smart flourish. The men’s solids were interesting with just the right dash of embellishment just as the tonal ruffled gown was worn by only one female model. The wine brocade jacket, cigarette pants teamed with a slanted Persian cap would make for a stylish evening statement by many contemporary women. We also wish we had more interpretations of the sheer pastel combos. This understated Manish needed a little bit more nudge and a push. Richness, resplendance and detailing are always the designer’s forte. No doubt about that. But he must beat what we expect of him. Particularly on the ramp.Photos: Pankaj Kumar
Deepika: neither pregnant, noR engaged
While addressing reporters after the show, the fashion designer, who is also celebrating 11 years of his label, confessed his love for Persian architecture.
“I love Persian architecture; I love the whole colour scheme and the music. I had it in my mind and this is how this collection was generated”, he said. “I keep looking at things, observing them and keeping them in my mind and later express myself,” he further added.
Talking about Deepika's outfit, “This is something that every bride should wear this season. If you see its architecture, it hasbadla work which takes a lot of time. This lehenga took about three months,” he said.
The Bajirao Mastani star also wore apolki-pearl choker and ahath-phool from Hazoorilal by Sandeep Narang. When Deepika was asked about managing the weight of herlehenga, she said, “I was a model before and have done so many shows but I have never been so tired walking the ramp. It's the heaviest.”
Pakistani import Fawad Khan, who is now looking to be a Bollywood staple, was walking the ramp for the first time in India. Asked about his thoughts while walking the ramp, he joked, “I was thinking about the food.”
Asked if she would like to wear something similar on her own wedding, Deepika said, “Why notIJ Every bride has to look her best on her wedding and also, let me clarify there is no such plan anytime soon. I am not pregnant, not engaged and not planning to get married anytime soon.”
The designer and his showstoppers were seen laughing and joking with the media.