What happens when you mix tangerine, purple, neon and pink with lots of gold? Easy! You get a Manish Arora outfit. Indian by Manish was an attempt to court the burgeoning bridal or occasion wear market by the maestro, who is known for his edgy, quirky style. So there was a grand set, with two elephant cutouts to welcome you; gravity defying matkas; his misty blue clouds; and in this medley there were also swans wearing maang tikkas.
Adding to this heady mix was the foot tapping number from the dustbowls of Dhanbad, evoking imagery of the coal mafia, I am a Hunter, Anurag Kashyaps critically acclaimed Gangs of Wasseypur. Quite like the song, Manishs kitschy-folk representation of the country saw eye masks, bold nose rings and a lot of shimmer. When I look at India, I see folk tales, street art, embroidery, but I like to twist it around and represent it in a manner which is international. It must be bright and vivacious thats why you see the neons popping up, he smiles.
A lover of drama, and a master of theatrics, it was his offbeat choice of music, with Piyush Mishras Ek Bagal main chand hoga, which was matched by the entry of fuschia pink lehengas, fully sequinned and embroidered jackets with armoured shoulders worn with sparkling churidars. I like bling, gold makes me happy, it is now part of my thinking process, says Manish.
And where there is gold, pink is not far behind; it emerged in various places, with ingenious splashes all through his collection, in pallus, borders, collars to backs.
There were also polka dots on saris, hearts scattered all over his parrot green blouses and powder pink saris and clouds on the sleeves, a constant in the style pantheon. But what makes Manish special is his bold choices, his being unafraid to use colour, his ability to make you sit up, as he takes you on a roller coaster ride into his world of psychedelic creations.