A winning combination—-whistles, a cage lit up by tiny, fluorescent lights, and his business partner Deepaks wife model Sapna Kumar, opening the show, it was a memorable return for the maverick Manish Arora at the PCJ Delhi Couture Week.
Not one to follow convention, Manishs comeback was a mix of edginess and an ode to Indian crafts, but done in his unique quirky way. There were sequins, cutwork, volume as the designer who alternates between Paris and Delhi, showcased some of his best pieces from his various collections, spanning the last five years, starting from 2008 (India Pop) culminating with Graffiti Art in 2012-13.
A battalion of models were sent down the runway in caged white, yellow and charcoal black heels, and raging hues of orange, hints of shocking pink and eye-catching green, on sometimes fitted or otherwise voluminous dresses held together by broad golden belts, making quite a statement.
Embroidered lips on black, silk dresses, glittery cropped jackets, digital printed dresses and patchwork with pleasing cross stitches in bright gold sparkled in the darkness.
With a background lit up with colourful bindis shinning brightly, the countrys foremost contemporary artists Subodh Gupta and Bharti Kher must have been delighted.
Exaggerated sleeves, raised shoulders, stacked gold bangles, and odd but interesting mix of colours (red, white and yellow) on a front zipper dress, along with the carousel dress made famous by the songstress Katy Perry from the Circus line, it was the hundreds of glow-in-the-dark butterflies pasted on a techni-colour dress that was, undoubtedly, a heart-stopper!