Let the stars shine in tinsel town!

doweshowbellyad=0; Clockwise: Katrina, Esha, Raageshwari and RaimaThe week-long fashion extravaganza has finally ended. After a week of reviews, reviews, and more reviews, it seems that every inch of column space has been invaded by the fashion world. So we decided to dedicate this space to the other side of fashion, a side that has been much in focus due to its ubiquitous presence.Yes, you've guessed it right. We are talking about Bollywood.
This year, the WIFW saw many a fashion designer bringing in the Bollywood brigade to walk the ramp or just to spice up what was a comparatively subdued affair. Of course, what nobody bargained for was how hot the spices got! The Bollywood masala left many burned tongues in its wake ��� with the media and the security coming to blows over the stars.
The question is: Is such a star-studded drama necessary to make a fashion event a hit one? Well, while we go out on this one, the fact remains that Bollywood makes news. When a noted designer brought around seven Bollywood stars - Suniel Shetty with wife Mana Shetty, Esha Doel, Kangana Ranaut, Riya Sen, Zayed Khan and Ayesha Takia - for his Nokia-sponsored show, the shutterbugs had every reason to go crazy. But it was all in vain. The post show area witnessed a huge scuffle between the media and the security guards. While the media was trying to arrange for interviews, the ���bouncers' kept pushing people back in what became a bloody fight in no time.
Someone ought to tell the management ��� you can't have your cake and eat it too! It would be quite insane to expect the cameras to take a backseat when you parade a bevy of Bollywood stars on the ramp. A better way to avoid the whole drama would be to not invite tinsel town altogether.
Let's face it, the stars of tinsel town shine better in Bollywood. The WIFW has its own stars that nobody could even get a chance to speak to. So much so that everyone forgot about the designer, Vikram Phadnis ��� whose collection was on show. Somebody remind us, is this the Filmfare awards or the Fashion Week?
doweshowbellyad=0; Clockwise: Tabu, Zayed, Simone, SunielThe models may not hog the limelight at Filmfare but they definitely are the stars of the ramp. The recent Fashion Week showed that any model with a pretty face and a confidence to carry herself has all the makings of a star. Though ace models like Jessw Randhawa and Deepika Padukone were missing from the ramp, the new faces were equally good.
Working their magic at the WIFW were top class models like Nyonika Chatterjee, Nigerian model Mariam, Carol Gracias and Neha Kapur to name a few. These and other models like Sheetal Mallar and Kamaal Sidhu have proved that they are no less than any Bollywood beauty.
The tinsel town stars who walked the ramp at WIFW included Akshaye Khanna ��� who walked the ramp for Manav Gangwani on the first day; Gul Panag ��� who walked the ramp for Mandira Virk; and Ridhimma Kapoor Sahni walking the ramp for celebrity designer Surily Goel. Well, looks like the lady is making up for missing the Bollywood bus unlike her sisters Karisma and Kareena. "It feels great to come on the ramp for the second time and this time I was a little more confident. I think Surily's clothes are absolutely feminine, as I believe in a style statement that is simple and makes me look nice," says Ridhimma.
While Shakira had everyone shaking hips in Mumbai, WIFW also got to do the shake with singer Raageshwari. The singer took everyone by surprise with her new look at Deepika Gehani's show and had everyone shaking Shakira style. Well, for those who couldn't make it to Mumbai, this was something rocking! However, some of the designers apparently did not approve of such tamasha on the ramp, which they believe takes away from the main purpose of a show."I don't understand the need of having a singer doing all these shakes and movements at a fashion show. This was the tackiest thing I ever saw on any of the shows," said one of the leading designers.
With each day bringing a bag full of surprises, day four saw designer Varun Bahl getting the pretty Katrina Kaif to walk for him. Dressed in a strappy, knee-length dress with flower embellishments in glitter, the actor scorched the ramp in her usual style.
That's not all! As we approached the end of the fashion extravaganza, Bollywood charisma seemed to be on a high. Celebrity designer Vikram Phadnis brought the dream girl's daughter Esha Deol on the fashion runway. Flaunting a black corset dress with a flowing frilly draped skirt, the actress caused many hearts to flutter with her flying kisses.
Bong beauty Raima Sen also walked the ramp for designer Renu Tandon. "I like wearing designer outfits but it should suit me well. Renu is a close friend, so whenever I have to pick up something for any occasion, I do ask her," shared Raima. Following this was the finale show that saw three Bollywood stars ��� Naseerudin Shah who delivered a little note on the theme of 'Deeper Love', Rahul Bose and Tabu walk the ramp for Rajesh Pratap Singh.
While models were busy showcasing glamour on the fashion runway, there were those who did make their presence felt off the ramp! The Essenza Da Wills Lounge chose one Bollywood beauty each day for a makeover session at their salon. Sheetal Mallar, Pooja Bedi, Neha Dhupia, Kim Sharma and Simone Singh were amongst those spotted at the Lounge.
But since when did these gals need a makeover? What they did need was to come back to the limelight perhaps, as they had been hovering on the fringes of the media radar for quite some time now. Well, ladies it's time to realize we have wizened up to such stunts. We have much bigger fish to fry, especially as there is lots of Bollywood masala around!
monika.rawal@indiatimes.co.in