Dubai's fashionistas turned out in large numbers for the two Chivas in Fashion tour shows on Friday. As soon as the doors of the Creek Ballroom at the Park Hyatt were thrown open, there was a mad scramble for seats with many guests left standing throughout the shows. The first show provided fashion lovers a flavour of sunny Goa and Bollywood bling with the collections of Wendell Rodricks and Vikram Phadnis.
Signature
Rodricks's collection — titled Five Elements — was created especially for Dubai. The lines in blue, black, brown, red and white represented the elements of water, slate, earth, fire and air and a dash of gold and silver added glitter to the collection. The relaxed, fluid silhouettes had Rodricks's strong Goan signature.
Velvet skirts, loose pants and sarongs were teamed with long flowing tunics in sheer fabrics and gold saris were worn with silver cholis. There were some pretty, layered dresses in black and white and a beautiful pleated white sari. And Rodricks sent the men down the ramp in sarongs coupled with smart tees, jackets, kurtas and even bare-chested. "Dubai is a truly cosmopolitan city and it is nice to see that people of different nationalities appreciate my clothes," said the Goa-based designer, who last had a show in Dubai eight years ago.
Glitz
Phadnis's collection had all the glitz, glamour, drama and star power that one expects from a leading Bollywood designer. He began the show with his Save the Earth line that won rave reviews at the recent Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week in Delhi. The impeccably cut dresses in blue, green and brown displayed Phadnis's penchant for combining colours and blending femininity and sensuality. But it was his "bling" collection, done especially for the Chivas tour, that caught everybody's attention.
It was impossible to take in all the details of the garments replete with elaborate surface texturing, embroidery, sequins, Swarovski crystals and fabric flowers. The wide variety of silhouettes ranged from draped dhoti skirts and pleated dresses to high collared tunics and fitted jackets. And his colour palette combined black with bright oranges, reds and shimmering blues. The ensembles were coordinated with bead necklaces, belts, fabric bags in contrasting colours and platform shoes.
Phadnis had a special surprise for the audience with a Bollywood star on the ramp. Vivacious actress Ayesha Takia, dressed in a gold and white layered gown and white jacket provided a fitting finale to this show.
