Subodh Kerkar, Phiroza Godrej and Sarayu Doshi at Salt Water Grill; (above) a model shows off an outfit from Aigner’s new couture collection at Olive

It is not uncommon for restaurants these days to put their walls to good use to host art shows, or even hold film screenings on their premises. What happens though if it’s a restaurant on the beach? Well, Salt Water Grill on Mumbai’s Chowpatty beach decided to put all that sand and sea to good use for a change. And who better to do it than Subodh Kerkar, known for his “sea installations”.

The doctor-turned-artist from Goa has always been inspired by the sea, which has been the theme of his paintings and sculpture over the years. In his ‘Oceanic Celebrations’ show at Salt Water Grill too, the sea ? and its elements ? dominated. Kerkar used varied materials such as clay, wood and glass in these installations. One work, for instance, comprised a vertically standing boat cut in half with a light installation inside. In another, he used a lot of glass on an oak base infused with light from below to create the ripple effect of waves.

The evening drew art connoisseurs such as Sarayu Doshi, art historian and former director of the National Gallery of Modern Art in Mumbai, Phiroza Godrej, owner of Cymroza Art Gallery, and Sangita Jindal, who heads the Jindal Arts Creative Interaction Centre. Also present were artists like Brinda Miller and Papri Bose accompanied by Palash Bose, and actress Shilpa Mehta.

Couture kicks

Flown all the way from Milan to India ? luxury brand Aigner’s couture Spring Summer 2006 Milan collection was recently showcased at Delhi’s Olive Bar and Kitchen. No, the collection wasn’t here for a formal launch, nor was it for sale but was flown in just to display Aigner’s latest couture line for fashion enthusiasts in India.

“We want our customers to know that Aigner is not all about leather goods but has more to it. The collection will be flown back and kept in its archive museum,” said Aigner brand manager, Rekha Arora.

The event kicked off slightly late and had eight models catwalking around the bar and dining area, while guests sipped their drinks and admired the collection comprising structured pants with jackets, frilly tops, flared skirts and dresses in wispy chiffon, linen, silk, muslin and crepe. All these were well co-ordinated with leather bags and footwear from the brand.

Named Garden of Paradise, the collection presented a wide range of hues from creams, oranges, apple greens, beiges and mustards to whites. After a 15-minute gap, the second round of the fashion show had dresses in blacks and whites. Displayed on one corner of the wall was a huge screen, flashing audio-visuals of the Milan Fashion Week where the same collection had been shown.

“The collection is here to make people aware of our couture line and I’m sure women in India will like it, as they love to mix and match,” said of Aigner luxury brand consultant, Frances Shenker

Among well-known faces from Delhi’s Page 3 circuit were cigar baron Chetan Seth, Sanjay Sharma of Swarovski and artist Laila Khan Rajpal who was all praise for the collection. “I just loved the colours and dresses. If I had to pick something from the collection, it would be a linen suit in white,” said Rajpal.

Photograph of Aigner event by Rupinder Sharma