Only Manish Malhotra can pull off a pairing such as this! Deepika Padukone and Ranbir Kapoor made up the star cast of the Walk of Mijwan, the fashion designer’s annual showing in Mumbai that celebrated its seventh edition on Thursday night, making it a larger-than-life affair. Deepika looked like a dream in a sparkling lehnga choli in nude, white and silver. And Ranbir looked totally drool-worthy in a rose-embroidered black bandhgala paired with white pin-tucked kurta pyjama.
Held in association with Mijwan Welfare Society — an NGO founded by Kaifi Azmi and headed by Shabana Azmi and Namrata Goyal — the show unveiled Manish’s new collection, which is “a modern interpretation of chikankari”. “The craft of chikankari forms the very foundation of each Mijwan collection. To most Indians, chikankari evokes beautiful visions of diaphanous fabrics and refreshing hues of summer. The beauty of chikan embroidery is that it’s very versatile — it looks as good on a Western silhouette as it does on a lehnga. With the Walk of Mijwan, we have taken yet another step towards presenting a legacy craft, using a design language that resonates with the preferences of the contemporary fashion lover across the globe,” said Manish.
The vintage charm of a bygone era with sheer lightweight fabrics in pastel hues and intricate chikankari embroidery was combined with contemporary and glamourous silhouettes. Muted shades of white, beige, lilac, aqua and baby pink were mixed with darker shades of red and blue occasionally. Lehngas with itsy-bitsy cholis on the one hand and skirts, sheer long and short capes, and dresses on the other, made up the women’s line.
For the men, the collection had embroidered bandhgalas, jackets, sherwanis, kurtas paired with slim pants, highlighting the art of chikankari all the way. Embroidered shoes and fringed clutches accessorised the clothes. Intricate floral motifs in chikankari was combined with pearl embroidery, sequins and fringes.
Named after a local village in Uttar Pradesh, the Mijwan Welfare Society operates with the objective of reviving the timeless craft of chikankari embroidery as well as empowering local women. What started off as a passion project with 40 women has now grown ten-fold to empower over 400 women. “While this is the seventh edition of my show, this in my ninth year with the Mijwan Welfare society,” Manish told t2, emphasising that the initiative is close to his heart.
While the show culminated with Deepika and Ranbir walking the runway, the guest list at JW Marriott Juhu, Mumbai, included a strong Bollywood contingent — from yesteryear actors like Asha Parekh, Waheeda Rehman, Dimple Kapadia and Neetu Singh to today’s stars like Sonakshi Sinha, Huma Qureshi and Yami Gautam.
