Sonam Kapoor at Manish Arora
Sonam Kapoor at Manish Arora

The last day of Wills India Fashion Week means one thing – Finale! And with Manish Arora back after 6 years, there was lots of excitement. The erstwhile creative director of Paco Rabanne, has been a regular at London Fashion Week and for the last few years shows at Paris. To have him back here had all the fashion pundits excited. He is after all a true showman.

So, today all my five fashion moments of the day come from the finale. While I am not going to pretend I loved every garment on the ramp, Manish does know what he is doing:

Manish Arora
Manish Arora

1. The art of showmanship: Yes, a fashion show is meant to be about a statement, and you can use music and lighting to do this but remember clothes are the hero. His super live trance music (with musicians visible, but in the background) slick glossy black ramp and his detailing in production values amped up his garments but did not distract. The energy was so good even the models did not get off the ramp at the end of the show.

Grand Finale - Manish Arora
Grand Finale – Manish Arora
Grand Finale - Manish Arora
Grand Finale – Manish Arora
Grand Finale - Manish Arora
Grand Finale – Manish Arora
Grand Finale - Manish Arora
Grand Finale – Manish Arora
Grand Finale - Manish Arora
Grand Finale – Manish Arora
Grand Finale - Manish Arora
Grand Finale – Manish Arora

2. Embrace celebrity but make clothes the true “Star”: Sonam Kapoor is well known for her love of fashion and has worn Manish Arora on many an occasion. She came sat in row one, wearing a beautiful Manish Arora, and gave interviews on why she loves the designer’s work. She added glamour but did not take away from the show.

Sonam Kapoor at Manish Arora
Sonam Kapoor at Manish Arora
Sonam Kapoor at Manish Arora
Sonam Kapoor at Manish Arora
Sonam Kapoor at Manish Arora
Sonam Kapoor at Manish Arora

There was really no other Bollywood  presence (except Neha Dhupia who’s been with us through fashion week as “official tweeter“). Other Indian designers please note: there is no need for a showstopper and only have a celebrity attend a show if she is a genuine client. Random celebrities are distracting and make it seem that you are not confident about your own collection.

Grand Finale - Manish Arora
Grand Finale – Manish Arora
Grand Finale - Manish Arora
Grand Finale – Manish Arora
Grand Finale - Manish Arora
Grand Finale – Manish Arora
Grand Finale - Manish Arora
Grand Finale – Manish Arora
Grand Finale - Manish Arora
Grand Finale – Manish Arora

3. Be different, yet be true to your own style: I did overhear some that this show lacked the drama you associate with Manish. Well he had the drama, yet he had clothes you can wear. It was about balance, the key word in fashion. All his signature elements were there – mad prints, the warrior like chains, bold embellishment and make-up that dares, yet it was mostly wearable.

Grand Finale - Manish Arora
Grand Finale – Manish Arora
Grand Finale - Manish Arora
Grand Finale – Manish Arora
Grand Finale - Manish Arora
Grand Finale – Manish Arora

Most importantly there was an element of surprise, he used solid muted colors (he normally sticks to print and bright hues) and made them his own. His usual use of volume was more controlled as clothes were leaner and more body contoured. I actually preferred the midnight blues and blacks to the prints and feel they were strong enough to be the basis of the entire collection.

Grand Finale - Manish Arora
Grand Finale – Manish Arora
Grand Finale - Manish Arora
Grand Finale – Manish Arora
Grand Finale - Manish Arora
Grand Finale – Manish Arora
Grand Finale - Manish Arora
Grand Finale – Manish Arora
Grand Finale - Manish Arora
Grand Finale – Manish Arora
Grand Finale - Manish Arora
Grand Finale – Manish Arora
Grand Finale - Manish Arora
Grand Finale – Manish Arora
Grand Finale - Manish Arora
Grand Finale – Manish Arora
Grand Finale - Manish Arora
Grand Finale – Manish Arora

4. Collaborations are key: Manish is the king of this, having worked with Swatch, MAC and even Nespresso! I may not buy the clothes but I am dying to get my hands on the jewellery (done in collaboration with Amarapali) and the shoes (done with Nicholas Kirkwood) a show is not just about clothes, it is about a look. Don’t forget most international fashion houses make the real money from accessories and from their cosmetic lines. The latter is often done through a marketing tie up.

Grand Finale - Manish Arora
Grand Finale – Manish Arora
Grand Finale - Manish Arora
Grand Finale – Manish Arora

5. India is a great inspiration: As international as his show looked it was full of India, be it in silhouette, colour or embellishment. There is no need to scream India but still remember being proud of your homeland is a good thing.

Grand Finale - Manish Arora
Grand Finale – Manish Arora
Grand Finale - Manish Arora
Grand Finale – Manish Arora

And that’s is wrap on fashion week! I enjoyed “the week”, hope you did too!

Photos Courtesy Surbhi Sethi for MissMalini.com