And the fashion countdown begins

Here's what you can look forward to at the Bangalore Fashion Week hitting town tomorrow

And the fashion countdown begins

Here's what you can look forward to at the Bangalore Fashion Week hitting town tomorrowu00a0

Remember you read it here first. Day 1 of the ensuing Bangalore Fashion Week (BFW) will have Mumbai-based designer Pria Kataria Puri close the show. And for the show stopper act of her Marrakesh-inspired collection, she has zeroed in on former Miss Great Britain 2006 Preeti Desai. The dusky, leggy lass, who made a sparkling Bollywood debut with Shor in the City, will wear a backless golden gown which makes for an exotic resort wear. "It's completely crystallized, embellished with gold and black beads and sequins. The material, tulle, has been sourced from Belgium. It has a 3D effect," says Pria.

Drama Queen: Pria Kataria Puri will show a Marrakesh inspired
collection at BFW

Preeti has done many shows for Pria and was the designer's only choice for this dress. The gown, that was made three to four months ago, was lying in the closet as Pria couldn't find anyone who would do justice to it. "I love her energy on the ramp. I saw her film the other day and loved her. I like the way she carries herself. I have given her a fuss-free slip- on gown. There were no trials needed. The dress fit her like a glove," states Pria.

Kafka on my mind: Work wear is what ace designer Narendra Kumar
Ahmed will be showing at this season's Bangalore Fashion Week

The collection is for the global traveller. "Preeti is from London and lives in India. She's fashion forward and is the kind of person who wears resort wear," says Pria. The designer, who only does resort wear, says, "Whether it's summer or winter, people are always buying resort wear. Gowns, dresses, tunics and maxis form my collection. In India people think resort wear only means a swimsuit. But resort wear is anything that you would wear on a holiday. It could even be a saree, as it has a Grecian drape," she opines. This is her second stint at the city's fashion week and she will show between 30 to 34 pieces. Pria loves coming back to the city that has a trendy, educated demography along with a fabulous vibe.

Meanwhile, the other venerable Mumbai designer, Narendra Kumar Ahmed, has a collection based on Franz Kafka's The Trial. Nari, as he is known in the fraternity, always makes news for his unusual inspirations. And while his last collection was inspired by the Japanese samurai, this time, through his collection, he shows how bureaucracy kills. "While private enterprises are doing fantastically well, the bureaucratic ones aren't. It's a modern work wear line with sharp tailoring. There are formals, evening wear, suits and jackets for men and women. It's a step forward from the Japan collection as we can't be dramatically different every time," says Nari.

This collection will premiere in Bangalore and has been done exclusively for the grand finale show on July 31. According to Nari, few are individualistic in their office wear. "People mostly wear mundane, boring, branded stuff with the West telling us what to wear. I realised that only doing office wear in a fashion show will be too boring. So there's some evening wear in the 40 pieces that I'm showing," says the designer participating in BFW for the first time.

Zarine Khan, the actress who was recently seen gyrating with Salman Khan in the song Character Dheela in Ready, will walk for him. A gown with a little bit of flourish in the end is what Nari has in mind for her.

The Showstoppers do theu00a0 talking
Preeti Desai
On Bangalore and walking the ramp:This is my first visit to Bangalore. I have a few friends in Bangalore and would want to explore the city with them sometime.

As for Pria, I have walked for her in her show in Mumbai and she gives a feminine touch to clothes that accentuate a woman's body. I'm a big fan of her gowns. On her screen ambitions: I want to make the right choices. The script and the director are important. I am reading some scripts, but I tend to get glamorous roles. I'm working on my Hindi diction as I want to be completely prepared for Bollywood. I'm ok with not getting the lead role because as an actor you want to grow and be seen as a performer. I just want to do good work.u00a0

Zarine Khan
On Bangalore: Bangalore is a wonderful city. I have friends there and visit them often.u00a0On wearing Narendra Kumar: I am really looking forward to wearing it. I love his clothes and wanted something shorter for the ramp as it's easy to move about in them. But he saw me in a gown and I don't want to interfere with his vision.u00a0

On being seen as 'plump': I am waiting for Houseful 2 to release to change that perception of people.u00a0
On her other projects: I have aTamil period film with Vikram releasing at the end of this year. As for more item numbers, I was always being offered item numbers. But I was not keen on doing too many and would pick something that has a fun factor attached to it.