The second edition of the India International Jewelry Week (IIJW) by the Gem & Jewelry Promotion Council of India kicked-off to a grand start on Sunday afternoon as the Minister of Tourism – Subodh Kant Sahai and Bollywood star Sonam Kapoor lit the ceremonial lamp. The IIJW is being held at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Mumbai where Ranjit Rodricks and Riddhima Sinha from MissMalini’s team are camping out for the next five days, bringing you all the action and gossip from the shows!
The first show of the day by Gitanjali Jewels was to support the cause of BETI, an NGO started by Anu Ranjan (of India Television Academy) to promote the cause of the girl child. A number of celebrities walked the ramp for this show with their daughters/mothers/sisters, wearing jewelry designed by Queenie Singh. The clothes were designed by Pria Kataria Puri and Neeta Lulla.
While Soha Ali Khan and Riya Sen were supposed to walk with their famous mothers (Sharmila Tagore and Moonmoon Sen, respectively), it was actress Bipasha Basu who took to the ramp (in a Neeta Lulla saree) with her mother, Mamata. Apparently, this was the first time Mrs. Basu has made an appearance on the ramp.
The second show of the day – Eekani Jewels – had actress Nargis Bagheri walk the ramp as the show-stopper. There was slight confusion over her name as the compere mistakenly referred to her as Nargis Fakhri. But the latter was in New York and tweeted MissMalini about the goof-up.
The third show of the day was by jewelry designer Monika Kapoor. It was choreographed by the inimitable Achla Sachdev and had actor Manish Goel walk the ramp as the show-stopper. Manish looked dapper in a black suit and he was the only male show-stopper for the day.
Sangam Chains, which was the fourth show of the day, had actress Geeta Basra walk the ramp. Decked out in a heavy velvet outfit by Arati Gupta, the actress was bedecked with equally heavy gold jewelry. Bling it on, girl!
The Amrapali show was also the most awaited. Actress Kangana Ranaut was their show-stopper and looked resplendent in uncut diamond jadau jewelry with Rajasthani accents. The clothes for the show were designed by Masaba Gupta.
The show by Gehna Jewelers had model Angela Johnson walk the ramp as the show-stopper. Veteran designer James Ferreira designed clothes for this show and had Angela walk in a white wedding dress. “I have kept it simple because her beauty is so luminous and shines through,” says James.
And here is a pictorial round-up of a few other celebrities who were spotted on the first day of the IIJW shows.
All photos: Ranjit Rodricks for MissMalini Videos: Riddhima Sinha for MissMalini Special thanks to: Achla Sachdev