Preity Zinta may be missing from Bollywood but was spotted at Milan Fashion Week last night. Is she going the ‘Sonam Kapoor’ way??? Well PZ was with Manav Gangwani, designer cum luxury biz (Infinite Luxury) entrepreneur at the Roberto Cavalli show.
Dressed in a jacket cinched at the waist over a slit-skirt, Preity Zinta looked chic. In the photograph that was taken outside Cavalli show the other girl with Manav Gangwani and Preity Zinta is Simrin Choudrie in a fur coat. The trio were heading for the Pucci show next.
So will it be ‘Fashionista in Milan’ by Preity Zinta after ‘Ishq in Paris’??? By the way what happened to ‘Ishq in Paris’? Any news about it guys???
PS: The photographs here are property of fashionscandal.com. Do not use it in any manner without due permission!
Versace entered India with a franchise agreement with Sehgal Brothers. But the marriage did not last long and in November 2012 Versace terminated its contract with Sehgal Brothers. The arrangement soured because Sehgals couldn’t live-up to the terms of their agreement with Versace. In fact the finances of Sehgal brothers were so mismanaged that they defaulted in paying rent to DLF Emporio. What could have been more embarassing for a luxury brand that the store’s electricity supply is cut-off?
Since Versace terminated its contract with Sehgal Brothers, speculations were on that they will sign-up with Genesis Luxury or come in as a 100% subsidiary. But now through reliable sources we have discovered that Versace has finally inked the deal with Infinite Luxury.
Infinite Luxury owned by Sahiba Narang, Manav Gangwani and Rahul Kapoor is rapidly acquiring brands and growing to be a strong player in the luxury retail business. The group kicked off with introducing Roberto Cavalli and Cavalli Caffe into India. This was followed with tie-up with Italian knitwear giants – Missoni and and the brand known for its eclectic prints – Emilio Pucci. Add to that Versace and that makes Infinite Luxury holding licenses of five uber-luxe brands for India.
The ‘King of Zebra Prints’ – Roberto Cavalli has arrived in Delhi with his entourage that consists of his girlfriend, daughter Cristiana and the top management of Cavalli. He was received by the his partners in India – the Infinite Luxury Group’s Sahiba Narang and Manav Gangwani in style. A custom-styled limousine drove Cavalli to the Taj Palace Hotel where he checked-in to the hotel’s prestigious ‘Lotus Suite.’
Did you know that Roberto Cavalli suffered two decades of obscurity before being rediscovered in 1990? He started with a bang in 70s, disappeared and then came back with a vengeance after two decades. Roberto Cavalli has a busy itinerary. He attends the press today at the store at DLF Emporio and then inaugurates the Cavalli Cafe, which is overseen by his daughter – Cristiana and then attends the exclusive bash hosted in his honour by Shalini and Sanjay Passi at their most-talked-about house at Golf Links.
If you wondering why Passis had the privilege of hosting Cavalli, the answer is that Shalini Passi is probably one of the most loyal Cavalli fan and earns the reputation of being the fattest Cavalli customer here. Haven’t we seen the lady in those zebra prints umpteen times? Besides the Passi residence is probably the most opulent houses in India where almost Rupees 300 Crores were spent on the interiors. I never had the privilege to have a look but whoever been there say, ‘It’s like a museum dude!’.
The bash is very-very exclusive and interestingly the 100-odd guests who are invited are suppose to dress in ethnic Indian wear.
And hey, don’t try to gate-crash. It’s so damn ‘LS’!
Every year post the annual Delhi Couture Week, I draw out the top couturiers amongst those who showcased. This year too after much deliberations and revisiting the high-resolution images of the creations showcased by the couturiers at the just concluded PCJ Delhi Couture Week 2012, I have drawn out ‘My’ Top 3 Couturiers. The list is in ‘alphabetical order’.
Anamika Khanna’s collection was an absolute treat to the eyes. Her ensembles were not typical Indian Wedding Wear (Wedding Wear dominates our Couture Week) but a nice blend of traditional and modern styles. I loved the intricate texturisation, innovative silhouettes, great assortment of fabrics, amazing colour story and of course perfect tailoring. Scalloped lacy jackets over lehengas and dhotis, the high-collars, the sari-gowns or the magnificent floor-duster coats – all gave a modern touch to traditional Indian ensembles. Sheer Salmon pink dupattas or layerings over ivory coloured ensembles livened up the look dramatically.
Manav Gangwani impressed me with his gowns – be it the monochromatic ones or the more dramatic red ones. I loved the OTT detailing, which I look forward in a Couture show, liked the shapes and above all the fit that is so integral to a couture piece. A couture ensemble has to fit on the model immaculately! The sheer fishnet gown with embroidery concealing the vitals did shock some of my fellow scribes but in a couture show that is more than permissible. The Indian styles were ‘Blingy’ but then that is something Gangwani’s clients love.
Varun Bahl was the first to establish that the ‘colour’ of the season’s gonna be Indigo. The sheer net bodices were absolutely sensual and the placement of embroidery was imaginatively innovative. One look at Varun’s collection and you would understand how vital ‘placement’ of embroidery is. Gradient shading – lighter shades blending in to darker ones – was beautifully used on saris and the contrast coloured embroidery on them beautified them further. I heard the saris are already taken. The use of the colour black gave an uber-chic look to Bahl’s beautiful collection. Classy is the word to aptly define it!
Rest In Peace Prabuddha Dasgupta. The ace photographer passed away last evening after enthralling us with his beautiful photographs, be it on fashion or Ladakh. Dasgupta died of a massive heart-attack while he was traveling in a cab. He was only 51. God bless his soul. Both the designers – Manav Gangwani and Sabysachi Mukherjee requested all for a minute of silence for the legendary Prabuddha before their shows.
Manav Gangwani had a mishap while he was preparing for the Couture Week. His assistant disappeared with all the designs. Gangwani reworked on an entirely new collection and there were flashes of brilliance. A 
monochromatic collection had sequence in red and as expected, was high on ‘Bling’. For the first time during the week I saw some dramatic elements that I feel is an integral part of a couture show. (Of course there was Manish Arora who had loads of drama in his show.) My personal favourites were the black and white sheer gown with a bejewelled black structure crossing over the shoulders and a short one-shoulder dress with nice lacy applique work. I liked the finish and the fit – a must for any couture ensemble. Manav Gangwani had the Queen of Bhutan – the beautiful Jetsun Pema gracing the front-row in a chic one-shoulder black Gangwani dress. Oh yes Bollywood was there in form of Raveena Tandon, Sophie Choudhry and jewelery designer Farah Khan.
Sabyasachi Mukherjee had one of the most elaborate set – with a vintage feel complete with the ramp depicting a wooden floor. And much to my liking I saw a great deal of ‘newness’ in his collection. But then he stuck to the ‘no makeup’ look and glasses for his models. There were the usual ornate lehengas, long-sleeved blouses and pretty sarees but what impressed me were those long voluminous skirts totally devoid of embellishment in solid colour like green or in colour-blocking technique. Sabya even went for coarse fabric and thick cotton to craft out these maxi skirts that can be doubled as lehengas. Sridevi and her director for their forthcoming movie – English Winglish, Gauri Shinde were Sabyasachi’s showstoppers.