A regal backdrop lent elegance to the theme of numerous side shows in a great Indian wedding as Madhu Khaitan showcased her line of bridal wear.

Displayed at the designer?s Queens Park residence on Tuesday, the collection was artistic with props like ancient wooden furniture, puja symbols and ornate hookahs adding an old-world charm to the proceedings.

The enchanting mix of heritage and contemporary craft was brought out through trendy lehngas with traditional motifs. The palette was bright with orange, red, deep blues and plenty of gold.

The silhouettes were essentially western but the fabrics were strictly Indian, creating a style that ?merged the Victorian with the Indian?.

First on the ramp was a heavily embroidered lehnga adorned with zardosi and ari work. Next on show was a bright lehnga that merged shades of orange, gold and green. Finally came the show-stopper ? a richly-embroidered peach and blue lehnga.

There are options to veer off the ramp track too. ?I can customise each outfit to suit a person?s entire persona,? promised Khaitan.

(From top) Models Sreshtha, June and Tanusree showcasing Madhu Khaitan?s bridal collection; a model shows off sunglasses from the Arnette collection; a performance at Cloud 9. Pictures by Rashbehari Das

Eye effect

If you have your eyes on some sporting fun this summer, you might consider investing in a pair of Arnette sunglasses.

The international brand that originated in California in 1992, has been brought to India by Ray Ban Optics India Ltd.

The brand has over 1,200 models that include rimless and semi-rimmed glasses, titanium, acetate and metal bodies for frames and APX, fine crystal polycarbonate lenses.

The dual benefits of style and comfortable features, like flexible nose pads, have made the brand a symbol of active lifestyle with sports enthusiasts who are into activities like surfing, skateboarding and snowboarding.

?This collection boasts technologically advanced frames and lenses, brought to India for the first time ever,? said Fabio Lupi, national sales manager of Ray Ban Optics India Ltd. The highlight of the range is the endless variety of 1,200 models on offer ? the largest range from any eyewear company.

With the introduction of Arnette, the Ray-Ban range now spans six brands, others being Ray-Ban, Vogue, Killer Loop, Luxottica and Sferoflex. The 2005 collection includes 150 new designs under Ray-Ban?s Predator Sports, Undercurrent, Sidestreets and the Aviator range, all priced between Rs 2,390 and Rs 4,990.

Sporty designs under the Arnette brand and stylish designs from Vogue start from Rs 4,300, while Killer Loop?s trendy frames like Tumble, BAND-it, Volcano and Skylabel start lower at Rs 1,990. Fashionable spectacle frames from Luxottica and Sferolex start at Rs 3,900.

Filmi funda

A tribute to the beautiful women, who have charmed generations through the medium of cinema, was the theme of resto-bar Cloud 9 at The Astor Hotel on Saturday. Titled The Night of the Angels, the Bollywood factor in the show was brought out with a colourful display of film posters and cut-outs of a bevy of its leading ladies.

Farah Pavri (of Oops! fame) flew down from Mumbai to set the dance floor ablaze. And so she did with a scintillating performance amid cheers and catcalls from an overjoyed audience. Though Bollywood was in focus, the city?s glam brigade was only represented by actor Indrajeet, who dropped by with wife Roopam, and was sporting enough to dance to a few popular Bollywood tracks churned out by the in-house DJ Pradeep. A couple of models added to the oomph factor.

Special cocktails concocted for the occasion by barman Salim kept the crowd on a high. Quite appropriately, the top draw at the bar proved to be a concoction called Mumbai Matinee. ?We?ve got a host of events lined up to give party animals something refreshing to sip on every weekend this summer,? said manager R.K. Palta.