Fantasy was given a free and unbridled rein as designer Manish Arora rolled out his Cosmic Love collection on the penultimate day of the Lakme Fashion Week in Mumbai.
Models, wearing psychedelic prints, elaborate neck collars and galaxy-inspired motifs, glided down the escalators of Palladium shopping mall and stepped on to the runway that was created on the expansive atrium.
The choice of venue ensured that the fashion shows — which can be notoriously clannish and exclusive — was a more inclusive affair as people across all ages with no invites soaked in the show by watching all the action from the upper levels. Fashion just became more accessible on Saturday night.
While the collection was an explosive celestial extravaganza, it was the arrival of Bollywood heart-throb Ranveer Singh, who wore a sparkling multicoloured jacket, that gave you a generous hint about designer Arora’s adventurous streak.
While Singh wore a gigantic pair of sunglasses at night, it was the guests who needed it more to offset all that blinding shine from his jacket.
But Singh’s presence on the front row legitimised Cosmic Love and grounded the daring, outrageous strands in Arora’s collections back to earth.
Tribal prints, peacock-motifs, bomber jackets with embroidery and planet-studded denims were the mainstays of Arora’s collection. The designer was celebrating his ten-year anniversary of showing his ready-to-wear collection in Paris and the whimsical collection, in association with local airlines Etihad, was a celebration of his bohemian bent of mind.
The make-up was kept minimal as models with pearl and golden beads stuck on their face and arms sashayed down the runway to tribal beats.
Their embroidered velvet booties, zebra-printed full skirts, their headgear, celestial shaped clutches and over-sized bags made from plastic straws were the highlights. Some of the embroidered bomber jackets and colourful denims reminded me of the hit TV show, That ’70s Show.
Arora’s collection is not for the faint-hearted, but if like Ranveer Singh — you dig outrageous — then his collection is right up your street (or should we say high street).
