(From top): Jaya Jaitley and Jatin Das at the Osian?s exhibition at India Habitat Centre; MTV VJ Anusha at the launch of Clavin Klein?s new perfume, Eternity Moment; Rani Juni, Archduke Christian and managing director of Satya Paul, Sanjay Kapoor (left to right) at the Cartier auction; Zayed Khan and dancers perform at The F Awards at the Taj Land?s End

In Mumbai, an awards show had all the city?s fashionable people turning up in full force while elsewhere, a fragrance launch had everyone living for the Moment. In Delhi, a major exhibition celebrated the best that Indian art has to offer while a charity auction was a royal success

Arty jamboree

Everything seemed to be going wrong on the opening day of the Osian?s exhibition, held recently in the Capital. Chief minister Sheila Dikshit couldn?t make it for the inauguration at India Habitat Centre and the curator of the premier auction house, Neville Tuli was running a high fever. But once the art took over, all was forgotten. There was everything from paintings and posters to bronze figures and puppets. The selection showcased the works of such maestros as M F Husain, Nicholas Roerich, Abanindranath Tagore, F Souza, Wasim Kapoor and K G Subramanyam. There was even a section showcasing three-dimensional Javanese rod puppets called Wayang Golek.

So, why such a vast collection of myriad art forms under one roof? Said Neville Tuli, ?Soon we will recognise that art and culture are a nation?s true knowledge sectors and only in nurturing and respecting that infrastructure can a truly great civilisation be built.?

Admiring the works on display were a host of well-known faces including artist Jatin Das and daughter, actress Nandita Das and politician Jaya Jaitley among others.

Toasting style

There are awards ceremonies for Bollywood?s stars and awards for small screen stars. So, it was about time that someone started giving out awards to the gurus of the fashion world. The F Awards For Excellence in Indian Fashion seems to have filled that gap. Held amidst swaying palms at the Taj Land?s End, with wine and canapes thrown in, the F Awards will probably go down as one of the season?s hottest events.

The night hosted by Kamal Sidhu was a heady mix of fashion and Bollywood. The opening event saw actor Zayed Khan dancing to a medley of Bollywood and Hollywood numbers. This was followed by a scintillating performance by sexy starlet Celina Jaitley.

The fashion flavours of the season came from designer J J Vallaya who showed off designs from his latest collection. Creations by nominees and debutante designers like Anjali Kalia, Varun Bahl and Surily Goel were also seen on the ramp.

Inevitably, a crowd of celebrities turned up for the event and there were big names from both the fashion and film worlds rubbing shoulders with one another. Those walking away with top honours included Rajesh Pratap Singh (best pr?t designer for men); Manish Arora (best pr?t designer for women); Rohit Bal (best menswear couture designer) and Tarun Tahiliani (best womenswear couture designer). Upen Patel and Nina Manuel won the awards for best male and female ramp models while Raman Lamba and Sheetal Malhar won for best commercial models. The debutante designer award went to Varun Bahl and Sonalika Sahay won for fresh new face.

In the Hall of Fame section, Ritu Kumar won for her contribution to Indian textiles and fabrics. And what?s a fashion event without Bollywood biggies winning an award or two? This time around, Shah Rukh Khan and Aishwarya were adjudged the best celebrity male and female models respectively.

Partying for perfume

A few nights ago, Mumbai?s suburban lounge and bar Rock Bottom was rocking louder than ever. The reason: the launch of Calvin Klein?s newest perfume, Eternity Moment. Staying true to the theme of the fragrance, the event opened with a ballet ? which must be a first for a Mumbai product launch. MTV veejay Anusha, the face of the perfume in India was on stage compering the evening. The evening ended with a lucky draw, and the winners were gifted Calvin Klein hampers and vouchers. The evening then rolled into one big party with the usual Page 3 people heading for the dance floor.

Archdukes and others

Cartier has been the jeweller to kings, queens and billionaires for over a century. Last week the jeweller held an auction for charity in Mumbai followed by a dinner at the Taj, Mansingh in the Capital. In Delhi, the chief guest of the evening was Christian, archduke of Austria and a senior member of the Habsburg family that once ruled vast swathes of Europe. The archduke was accompanied by his wife Marie-Astrid. Others who had come from Europe for the event included Cartier managing director Patrick Normand and Princess Rani Juni of Sarila, who lives in Switzerland, one of the main movers behind bringing the Austrian royals to India.

Cocktails were followed by an elaborate four-course dinner put together by the Taj Group?s chef Amit Chowdhury. Other sponsors of the evening included the Taj Group and Satya Paul.