Happy endings,new beginnings

Sunaina Puri, an emerging designer, displayed ���Armaan��� ��� her checkmate collection of black and white.
This young and hard-working girl has her finger on the pulse and what it takes to make recession invisible: Ultra glamorous clothes, wearable with a neat finish, with a price that���s just right. I picked up six ensembles from her after the show.If this girl keeps steady, her clothes should fly off the shelves.
The other emerging designer who was impressive was Walnut. ���Clothes used as canvas for an artist���, the classic dresses silhouetted at the waist were eye-catching and elegant.
The Nari Nari collection spelt fun and represented the current era of the ���Gossip Girl���. Madhur Bhandarkar made his way early to watch Nari���s show. Just before the show he talked about his new movie Jail with Neil and Mugdha. ���It���s a different movie,��� smiled Madhur. We know all about your different movies, Madhur!
The bar was packed before the finale. I bumped into Gaurav Mahajan from Westside. ���I love recession,��� he said, ���properties I could not touch to rent are suddenly available now and much cheaper. We are opening 18 stores nationwide.��� Scouting for designer talent, this man is steadily changing the fashion quotient of Westside. Fern Mallis of IMG felt that recession has put fashion price points in perspective. ���Luxury was totally overpriced and unreal,��� she lamented.���Designers today have adjusted their prices to the times.��� Sangeeta Kathiawad said, ���Luxury certainly is not about changing every season, it should be passed down generation.��� Pr��t, predominantly, is the only thing that works during recession, because the need and craving to shop still exists even though pockets may not permit one to.
Earlier in the day, I had strolled down through to the designer stalls. ���Business has been unsatisfactory this time,��� complained the designers. Consumers are more enthusiastic than retailers was the unanimous complaint. Ravi Krishnan, MD of IMG, however said that a whopping 106 buyers showed up which is a great exposure for the designers in these times. I agree we don���t blame buyers about being cautious about their orders; they too don���t want to be stuck with racks of clothes. However, times will change and orders will resume!
The Bridal Sutra Finale this time was with Anamika Khanna���s collection. The show was slick with Anu Ahuja���s crisp direction amidst bells tolling. ���My designs are for the contemporary woman who understands tradition and fabric, but is still modern and independent,��� the designer said. Her concept was visible, as although she used Kerala Mindu fabric and ethnic Mughal prints, her belted lehengas spelt dynamism and modernity.
And so the Lakme Fashion Week Fall-Winter 09 drew to a close. A stupendous job well done by IMG, Lakme and the team of sponsors and pretty much made this platform the epicentre of Indian fashion.
This week saw tremendous celebrity presence: Naomi came and left six outfits for auction for the relief of the victims of 26/11 (interested parties to buy the dress must log on to www.ebay.in). It was great to see so much Bollywood. May be it was the venue which was convenient for the stars, whatever it may be, fashion and entertainment go together and it was about time that the sophistication of fashion and the tamasha of Bollywood made a happy unison. Metallics were big this season and hues were deeper rather than pastels. Cowls, pleats and prints made up for embellishments. Parties rocked, clearly Mumbai was starved for this after the lull. The piece de resistance was Mecklai���s badge at the opening party that read ���I will not vote for criminals!��� So it���s time to move on. That���s the thing with happy endings: They tend to create new beginnings.