Bangalore Fashion Week - Day 1

Shekha Khandari
Thursday July 28, 5 pm
We know the idea is to save the best for the last, but an opening collection can't be this putting off. Day 1 of the fifth edition of Bangalore Fashion Week (BFW) not only started with an unacceptable delay of more than an hour, but opened with the most disastrous show in recent times. National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) alumnus Shekha Khandari (we don't know much else about her) presented a collection whose theme was 'art forms in nature'. But there was neither art nor elements of nature in the women's line. The evening wear line had too much happening-both in terms of embellishment (mostly pearls and crystal) and structure. A ridiculous overdose of sequins and unnecessary knife pleats didn't help the matter either. Besides, the entire collection was replete with short colours, making it too much to digest.


Sanjay and Shammy Choraria
6. 30 pm
This show was not mentioned in the schedule and hence did come as a surprise. But it will remain one of the most talked about shows in the week. The Bangalore-based designer duo put together an extremely thoughtfully 'conceived' maternity line that included utility clothing like knee length skirts with back slits and anti-fit dresses with detailing and floral anti-fit tunics with a belt that sits right beneath the baby bump. So, we had heavily pregnant models (hold on, they only had fake baby bumps) strolling casually down the ramp as though they were out for an evening walk in a park or by the beach. While some leafed through a magazine, others sipped on coconut water. A few even walked with prams. And the music was just right, with Justin Bieber's chartbuster Baby being played to match the models' slow, easy gait.


Riyaz Gangzi
8. 30 pm
The designer, who's been in the business for 16 years, put out a rather unremarkable show at the pre-finale on Day 1. Riyaz, who has been in the news recently for being admitted to a hospital in Mumbai after being assaulted by his neighbours, started the show with men in tux. The hats and the cigar pipes the models carried made them look like a modern day Sherlock Holmes. Formal coats were paired with Jodhpur pants and then there was a line of bright hued sherwanis with heavy embroidery. Riyaz's collection was done keeping the bridal week in mind, it doesn't quite qualify as an autumn/ winter line(the theme of BFW this season). Also, it had a massive Manish Malhotra hangover. So, intricately embroidered lehengas and kurtas ruled the ramp, the former in sheer fabric and net (which again is very last season).u00a0 The most dismaying piece was a sherwani set in a repelling brown, the shine on which even piped that of patent leather.u00a0


Pria Kataria Puri
10.24 pm
This was the most awaited show of the day, and some of it had to do with the fact that it was the only show of Day 1 that had a showstopperu00a0-- the gorgeous Preeti Desai, no less. But before that, came the ravishing resort wear collection from a designer whose client list boasts of names like Paris Hilton and Madonna among others. With Marrakesh, the Moroccan city, as the theme, the collection was ruled by shades of red and orange. The show opened with a heart stopping crimson bikini worn with a floor sweeping robe, and almost all the garments had silk threads at the edges and ropes around the waist. Kaftans, jackets, short dresses with bat wings in soft chiffons and silks, edgy sarees with just the right amount of bling, peasant tops with knife pleated long skirts and dazzling hot pants made for a collection that was rich in textures and colours. But the show stopper number, a backless golden gown with a suspended cowl, was the piece de resistance. Pria sent all the fashion addicts home contented.