Indian Fashion

Anil Kapoor Presents Anamika Khanna's Creation

Anil Kapoor presents a creation by designer Anamika Khanna during Day-4 of Pearls Delhi Couture Week 2010 in New Delhi on July 23, 2010.

The heart skipped a beat as Anil Kapoor with the Aisha cast, Ira Dubey, Amrita Puri and Lisa Haydon, took over the ramp sporting Anamika’s fineries.

Anil (who would believe is in his 50s!) looked his jovial self as he walked the ramp in a stunning black sherwani coordinated well with a simple white chudidar. Not to miss the brooch like piece of gem-studded jewellery pinned to his chest pocket that accentuated the look.

Theme : Anamika’s couture display on Day 3 was indeed a very creative attempt to bring out the phases and moods of a bride. “The emotional journey of a bride”, as she called it, “marked by strong and slightly softer tones of dressing, and that’s what I tried to create with couture today.”

Collection : Blingy hues like golden and silver got a new meaning as models Joey Matthews, Netra Raghuraman, Diandra Soares and others took a stroll in leggings teamed with shirts, dresses, and richly handcrafted jackets over asymmetrical skirts.

It was truly ‘wow’ the way festive hues were introduced in a vintage style. The range exuded an old-world charm for its styling, and a contemporary elegance for its texturing.

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Silhouette : In a contemporary-meets-vintage fashion, Anamika created an exquisite range of couture with her shirts, leggings, lehangas both voluminous and asymmetrical, long jackets, gowns, all wealthy with embellishments.

Detailing : While taking the Indian bride on an “enchanting journey”, Anamika has been rather innovative with her jackets. “It is something you can play around with and can team it with lehangas, leggings, just the way you like it,” she shares. While the designs had intricate sequin, zardosi and cut work, how did she manage to get that natural bluish tinge on every outfit? “That’s the latest technology for you. I wanted the same effect that comes from wearing an old outfit after many years, with the thread work gaining a rusty, bluish tinge,” she tells us.

Embellishments : Zardosi, exaggerated thread work, sequins, stone and cut work were most noticeable, and gave a timeless feel to her outfits.

Colours : It was a seamless transition all the way from greyish-silver to rusted golden coordinated with black, to burgundy, the true bridal colour. Worth a mention was the intricately embellished golden robe Diandra wore over a black body suit - a unique mix of traditional and contemporary.

Fabric : Thick with embellishments, she created some truly classic pieces of jackets, shrugs, gowns, lehangas, blouses and short dresses with velvet, net, georgette and khadi silk. We didn’t miss out the high-volume gold colour netted lehanga with a broad golden zari border Joey wore. It is difficult to nail the look it created; nonetheless it was a beautiful cross between the old and new age.

Accessories : The single piece of jewellery worn by the models, and later Anamika herself, was a stone-studded, chunky neckpiece dangling half-way down to the breast, by Kolkata-based Raj Mahtani. And what inspired Raj to create such abstract yet decorative shapes? “I present a collection that has a bohemian approach ranging from bold and daring to totally bizarre. Large uncut emeralds, rubies, pearls and even larger uncut diamonds all put together to create shock in a very sensual manner – even worn with a pair of blue jeans,” says he.

Showstopper : Anil Kapoor with the Aisha cast showstopped for Anamika and thanked her for the way she has dressed them up so stylishly in the movie. With Rhea Kapoor, the producer of Aisha too present at the venue and talking about the movie at length, we did miss the chirpy Sonam. So was it difficult for Anamika to dress Sonam given her chic dress sense? “She has an incredible sense of fashion which makes me envious of her. While creating her dresses I would always be paranoid about what she might ask next,” jokes Anamika.

Glitzy front row : Couture jeweller Raj Mahtani was introduced to the ramp by Anil Kapoor. Besides, FDCI president Sunil Sethi and Tanisha Mohan among a host of socialites, we spotted designer Tarun Tahilani taking a break from his bridal expo preparations and rooting loudly for Anamika.