(From top) Carol Gracias shows off a Ferre outfit; a model walks down the walls of the Hotel Shangri-La in an innovative fashion event for Esprit ; Patrick Buchard at the launch of Paco Rabanne’s new fragrance, Black XS

It was a first for a New Delhi fashion show. The models tripping along down the walls of the Hotel Shangri-La, starting from about 16 floors up. As for the audience, it got a collective crick in the neck trying to keep an eye on the latest offerings from Esprit.

Chiffon scarves with knit cardigans, tweed skirts, dressy tops for women and T-shirts in flashy colours for men ruled the vertical ramp. Sportiness and luxury were the watchwords for the women’s casual collection. Classic materials like tweed and patterns such as checks were in evidence. For teenagers, the underlying theme was ‘tribal spirits’, inspired by Morocco, Russia and Mongolia. Key styles were long, flowing skirts (sometimes tiered), knitted long cardigans and authentic washed dark denims.

“We are launching in India in association with Madura garments (a part of the Aditya Birla Group) to capture the premium retail business here. We have been looking at the Indian market for a long time now,” said Thomas Grote, Global CEO of Esprit, which offers women’s, men’s and kids’ apparel, sportswear, shoes, accessories and other licensed products including timewear, jewellery, fragrance and bed and bath products.

The new store in Delhi is located at the M-block market, Greater Kailash-I. Esprit has also opened stores in Bangalore and Mumbai.

Ferre’s fashion

Yet another high fashion brand was making its stylish presence felt in Delhi this week. As part of the Festa Italiana, Ferre also did its number at the Hotel Shangri-La. The evening started an hour late and the guests contented themselves with digging into risotto and canap?s. The entire fashion fraternity could be seen circulating ? Manish Arora, Rohit Bal, Tarun Tahiliani, Aparna Chandra, Rina Dhaka, Rajesh Pratap Singh, Sonam Dubal, Gauri and Nainika Karan and choreographer Aparna Behl.

Choreographed by former model-actor Marc Robinson, the show took the audience on a trip through the five continents. Gianfranco Ferre’s collection based on Europe flaunted silk organza blouses, silk velvet dresses and pleated flouncy skirts. Animal prints dominated the African line while Oceania was characterised by stretch Lycra suits and nappa leather jackets. The look was accessorised with pearl decorations and coloured nappa necklaces.

The American look had a cowboy touch with silk knitted ponchos, cashmere skirts and silk taffeta dresses. The line boasted a gleaming garnet ‘necklace’ top teamed with a printed silk chiffon skirt. Last came the Asia collection that had silk dresses with cummerbunds, tasselled trousers and dresses edged with coins.

While the CEO of the company, Massimo Macchi, refused to reveal the price points of the collection or the investments made in the show, he talked about the Italian brand setting up shop in Delhi in Vasant Vihar some time soon.

Scent of a man

It’s said that you can judge a man by the scent he uses. Small wonder then that the launch of Paco Rabanne’s new fragrance, Black XS, aimed at the metrosexual male at Mumbai’s Taj Mahal Hotel, created quite a stir among the menfolk present.

The new perfume was launched by Patrick Buchard, managing director, Asia Pacific, PUIG Beauty and Fashion Group, and Hemansu Kotecha, director of Baccarose, a leading name in fragrance and personal care. “This new fragrance, masculine and sensuous is for tough guys with a tender heart,” said Kotecha.

So what makes this perfume super-cool? Calabrian lemon, Kalamanzi, tagette and sage are the ingredients for the top notes of the perfume whereas the base notes have black amber, patchouli and ebony wood. And who better to represent this brand than international model Will Chalker, a sought-after face for magazine covers? The perfume comes in a black lacquer bottle with a rose intertwined with its Gothic lettering. The 50 ml Black XS Eau de toilette spray costs Rs 1,950.

(From top): Models walk the ramp at the Trussardi show and Rocky S and Katrina Kaif at the launch of the former’s festive line

Festive flavour

Rich and famous. That could well describe the launch of fashion designer Rocky S’s festive and wedding season collection at Fuel ? The Fashion Store at Mumbai recently. For the designer’s palette of rich colours and embroideries was matched by his glittering guests. In an extension of his Autumn-Winter collection, the designer chose a palette of berry, purple, aubergine, wine and mahogany. The free-flowing feminine creations were a fusion of Bohemian and Western silhouettes and were embellished with frills and lace, stones and crystals. The line included corsets, embellished denims, gypsy skirts, bejewelled tees and tunics.

Seen exchanging notes with Rocky S ? Fuel organised an open house where guests could interact with the designer ? were actors Katrina Kaif and Madhu, Viren Shah of Roopam, designers Asjriya Gakih and Sangeeta Chudiwala, and socialites Kishen Mulchandani and Anu Divan.

Italian style

It seems to be the season for big international couture brands setting up shop in India. After Chanel, Italian high-fashion brand Trussardi, they of the greyhound logo, showed their Spring-Summer 2006 collection at Bangalore’s Leela Palace Hotel recently as part of the ongoing Festa Italiana organised by the Indo-Italian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The brand also announced its intention of opening boutique stores in Mumbai’s J W Marriott and at the Leela in Bangalore.

The Trussardi creations exuded understated elegance as models sashayed down the ramp in fitted glove-dresses, sheaths, long and short jackets, trench coats, large bags and sunglasses. The retro-chic look was emphasised by the use of large buttons, broad belts, gloves, headscarves and a masculine touch to clothes that were essentially very feminine. The colours were in keeping with the muted colour palette favoured by most European fashion houses. Black and sombre shades of beige appeared to be the most favoured hues, while the knee-length dress and skirt seemed to be a favourite silhouette.

Present at the do were Prasad Bidappa, Manoviraj Khosla, fashion impresario Gautam Kalra and young designer Sanchita Azampur, who read out a message from Beatrice Trussardi, CEO of the Trussardi group. Also present was Delhi restaurateur A.D. Singh, in the city to launch a branch of his restaurant Olive.

The talk of the evening, besides the clothes, seemed to be the authentic Italian food being served for dinner. Bangaloreans were seen tucking in with great gusto even as a steady drizzle tried to dampen spirits to no effect.

Photographs by Rupinder Sharma,Jagan Negi and Gajanan Dudhalkar