(Clockwise from above): Anil Kapoor and Padmini Kolhapure at the launch of the new TBZ store; a model shows off a Suneet Varma sari; Pallavi Jaikisshan flanked by Noyonika Chatterjee and Anousha Chauhan

You know the festivities have begun in earnest when Ogaan decides to host its annual exhibition. Last week, the boutique gave Delhi an outline of what the designer brigade had up its sleeve for Diwali and the upcoming wedding season. In a burst of colours, some 14 designers showcased their collections at The Oberoi hotel that converted into a hotspot for the capital’s fashionistas. Though most of the designers whose collections were on display were missing (Anamika Khanna, Kiran Uttam Ghosh, Aparna Chandra included), Ogaan chose Mumbai’s Pallavi Jaikisshan to carry the day.

Models Noyonika Chatterjee and Anousha Chauhan mingled with the guests dressed in Jaikisshan’s heavily embellished lehngas that carried just as heavy price tags of Rs 2 lakh. But for those who wanted to spend less, Jaikisshan’s floor price was a much lower Rs 11,000. Jaikisshan said: “This season, flowing lehngas are in vogue.” Other eye-catchers at the display included Kavita Bhartia’s lycra-based and heavily embellished wedding attire as well as her tribal line, Kiran Uttam Ghosh’s sari collection and Pankaj Ahuja’s contemporary cotton kurtas.

Since no ensemble can be complete without the perfect accessory, the exhibition offered a range of bejewelled evening bags by Meera Mahadevia and Chandni Munjal. For jewellery lovers, designer Falguni Mehta offered an array of pieces in gold and Basra pearls from Iran.

A brush with the past

He is fascinated by Amrita Sher-Gil and so decided to dedicate his Fall-Winter collection to her. In his collection for the season, designer Suneet Varma chose to capture the different periods of the painter’s brief life and the bohemian times in which she lived. And he called his line Amrita Sher-Gil: A Life Extraordinary.

Split into six lines, the show opened with Hungarian Memories, a line dominated by 1920s Art Deco motifs. While the colours that walked the ramp included porcelain pink, ivory and black, the line was all about tunics — long and short — that were teamed with wide pants. The second line, The Paris Years, came in tones of deep burgundy, emerald, antique gold, fuchsia pink and flaming orange. Fitted dresses and flowing evening gowns caught the eye.

Sher-Gil’s time spent in south India was reflected in Varma’s third line, Search For Roots. This was all about saris and long kurtas. The painter’s love for ivory and Banarasi textiles was the inspiration for the fourth line, which came in white and gold. The fifth and sixth lines were odes to femininity with a predominant pastel palette.

Why is Amrita Sher-Gil so special for Varma? He says, “I’ve always admired her grace and have been inspired by her sense of style.’’

Shine on

The shine and sparkle of the festive season is synonymous with the glitter and glamour of jewellery. The exclusive jewellery store, Tribhovandaz Bhimji Zaveri unleashed the festivities in Mumbai. It celebrated in style by throwing open the doors of a sprawling 7,000 square feet store aptly christened, TBZ The Original. Marking the occasion was the launch of jewellery designer Nita Kapoor’s jadau collection that’s been designed exclusively for TBZ.

The store opened with the brand’s latest festive range that blends the contemporary with tradition designs. The pieces have been handcrafted in gold and silver and blaze with cut and uncut diamonds as well as multi-hued semi-precious stones.

TBZ’s Shrikant and Bindu Zaveri played the perfect hosts to Mumbai’s glitterati that arrived in droves. The guest list was impressive and included a battery of stars. Spotted admiring the jewels were Neetu Kapoor, Sridevi, Anil and Sunita Kapoor, Kirron Kher, Sanjay and Maheep Kapoor, Padmini Kolhapure, Neelam Kothari, Madhur Bhandarkar and choreographer Farah Khan.

Fashion designers Neeta Lulla and Deepika Gehani too came for a look, as did Mumbai’s Page 3 regulars like Sharmilla Khanna, Reema Jain and Chayya Momaya. The modelling fraternity was represented by Shawar Ali and Bunty Grewal.

Photographs of Delhi events by Rupinder Sharma and Jagan Negi