The second and final day of the Chivas Fashion Show had a bit of everything. Variety was the order of the evening as models strutted down the slippery ramp in club wear, practical linen kurtas, royal robes, funky accessories and pastel creations.
Three back-to-back shows with eight designers displaying their creative quotient in varying degrees transformed the evening into an eclectic affair.
If Ayesha Depala's lit up the ramp with her signature soft and understated floral gowns, then Raghavendra Rathore's evoked a great Indian summer-feel with his array of cotton kurtas and cropped pants. The evening also saw designer Vikram Phadnis pulling up his neon-coloured socks and unleashing a collection that may make even preppy teenagers take a step back.
Varun Bahl might have been nursing a heavy hangover from the recently-concluded India Couture Week and showcased a heavily embellished and embroidered bridal stock.
The designers Malini Ramani, Cue (Rohit Gandhi and Rahul Khanna) and Wendell Rodericks also spun their sartorial magic with their brands of club wear and cocktail gowns.
Saving the best for the last
Ayesha Depala and the designers of Cue do know a thing or two about wrapping up a fashion fair with flair. Saving the best for the last, designers Depala and Rohit Gandhi brought down the curtains only after unzipping their collections much to the delight of Dubai's fashion set.
Blaring police sirens announced the arrival of chic navy blue pants, plaid trousers, cropped jackets and smart office wear that formed a chunk of Rohit Gandhi and Rahul Khanna's collection. With a sombre dark colour palette including browns, blues and blacks with a splash of maroon, Cue impressed the well-heeled crowd with his sophisticated sartorial stash.
The grand finale came with the ultra-feminine gowns by Depala. Heavily inspired by flowers, the majority of her ethereal creations made from lace, tulle, muslin and linen were studded with roses. The music, notes of tabla (percussion) which was interspersed with western sounds, also mirrored the thrust behind her collections.
The silhouettes were Western but the fabrics were embedded with traditional Indian embroidery techniques, such as gota leaves. But if you were to pick the hit of the evening, it would have to be the vintage layered Edwardian gown.
Apart from vociferous approvals from the crowd, Depala also saw the UK's statuesque supermodel Yasmine Le Bon enjoying her creations from the front row.
High-heels and silk
Malini Ramani's love affair with gold and black continued at this event. Starting off with a warning, "faint-hearted, stay away", Ramani brought on the party mood with heavily sequined club wear. Sky-high heels, shrinking hemlines and a smattering of bling effectively drove home her point.
Meanwhile, Varun Bahl stirred things up a bit with his bridal collection. His heavily embellished couture pieces in velvets and silks in rich jewel-tones was an indication that he hadn't yet recovered from the recently-concluded India Couture Week.
"It's an extension of my collections that were displayed at India's first Couture week. I have retained most of the pieces," he said.
Roderick's inspiration were wholly different. Inspired by the British legacy and the romantic era of the late 1800s, his collections saw salmons, pistachio and beige aplenty.
Though, many found it tough to draw a connection between his inspiration and his collection, Roderick's delicate collection was well-liked.
Of jumpsuits and jodhpuris
Shantanu and Nikhil opened the final day of the Dubai leg of the Chivas Fashion Show with their collection Red Earth. Blacks intermingled with red streaks was a highlight. Silver anklets that doubled up as head-gear and embellishments for gowns was another talking point.
"Our silhouettes are western but they are steeped in Indian traditions," Shantanu said.
In direct contrast was Vikram Phadnis's collection which seemed to have come singlemindedly intent on having some florescent-induced fun. The verdict? The knee-high psychedelic socks not withstanding, Phadnis with his short sunny yellow jumpsuits should have stuck to the familiar territory of fusion wear.
But the winner was Raghavendra Rathore with his highly wearable and practical cotton kurtas and jodhpuris. He swept the crowd with his cotton creations. "My clothes are for a male who loves the outdoors. There's nothing uptight about it," said Rathore.
Spotted in the front row
Zaheer Abbas: Former Pakistani cricket captain did did not seem to be on a sticky wicket as he checked out the collections of the design-duo Rohit Gandhi and Rahul Khanna.
Yasmin Le Bon: Isn't the battle half-won for Dubai's favourite Ayesha Depala when you have cheering from the sidelines a statuesque former supermodel who has worked for fashion powerhouses such as Yves Saint Laurent, Christian Lacroix, Calvin Klein and Azzedine Alaia?
