(From above): Vikram Phadnis at Celebrating Vivaha 2006; Neena (left) and Shibani Agarwal with their jewellery line; Ramona Narang, Queenie Dhody and Manisha Koirala at the Evian bash

The Tatas may be going outside India to buy flavoured waterbrands, as they did with their recent acquisition of US-based Energy Brands. But back home, it was a multinational mineral water company that was touting its success with domestic consumers. So Evian, the premier mineral water brand from the Danone Group held a party to celebrate its success in the country recently.

The event was hosted by Vincent Robert, executive vice-president, beverages export, Danone Group, Rahul Narang, CEO of the Narang group, which is Evian’s marketing and distributing partner in India, and Evian India’s brand manager, Anjali Gaekwar.

Since Evian is targeted at the ‘beautiful people’ the world over, not surprisingly, our very own Page 3 denizens too flocked the party. So there were Mumbai’s jetsetters like Queenie Dhody, Anju and Farhad Taraporewalla, Rahul Narang’s siblings Timmy and Ramona, Laila Lamba, Kailash Surendranath, Aditya Kilachand, and Devika and Suresh Bhojwani, to name a few. Adding to the glamour quotient were actors Manisha Koirala and Viveik Oberoi. Also spotted was Vijay Mallya’s son, Siddharth.

Shining on

It’s a jewellery brand that boasts of celebrity clients like Liz Hurley, Jennifer Lopez, the King of Bahrain and our very own Bollywood hotbod, Shilpa Shetty. No surprises then that Maharani Jewellers’ recent exhibition in the Capital was an exclusive one. The event was held at the Hotel Intercontinental Eros and its Viceroy Hall was awash in a whole lot of shimmer and sparkle as Neena Aggarwal and daughter-in-law, Shibani showcased their latest collections of jewellery and other accessories.

“It is an annual ritual for us to hold an exhibition in Delhi. It’s also a means of getting in touch with our clients here,” said Neena who founded the firm in Mumbai in 1970.

The selection of jewels on offer included neckpieces, earrings, bracelets, bridal sets and accessories studded with stones like rubies, emeralds, corals, turquoise and citrines combined with diamonds in different ways.

Explaining the collection’s look, Shibani said, “Our designs are timeless and go with both contemporary and traditional clothes. The current trend is to wear pieces that make a strong statement about the user’s personality. Keeping this in mind, we’ve used coloured stones to go with the designs.”

With the wedding season just round the corner, the focus of the collection this time around, the duo said, was on bridal jewellery. And the best part about this line is that it is detachable — in other words, if you don’t like the all-out heavy look, you can simply detach some portions of the piece.

Another highlight was the line of chokers, which according to Shibani are “very much in” right now. “Chokers are hot this season and even people wearing Western clothes can sport them,” she said.

Wedding wows

Yet another wedding exhibition hit the Capital recently as Vivaha 2006 took over the Hotel Taj Palace for four days of fashion and finery.

With over 80 participants, the venue had visitors from all corners of the city. Tarun Sarda, CEO, Vivaha Interactives said, “This is our fourth year of exhibition. Earlier this year, we held Celebrating Vivaha in two more cities — Ludhiana and Calcutta with great success. And with Delhi being the hub of money and fashion, we are expecting Celebrating Vivaha Delhi, to be a truly extravagant affair.”

Inevitably, the exhibition had its share of designerwear. Though the brand ambassador for Vivaha 2006, designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee was nowhere to be seen on all four days, his collection of bridal saris won over many a prospective bride. Another well-known Bollywood designer, Vikram Phadnis though was present at his stall, showcasing his bridal collection comprising lehengas in bright hues. His African Fashion Week collection done mainly in blacks, whites and neutrals was also on display. Phadnis looked content with the response his collection received. “I am so happy with the collection selling like hotcakes that I now plan to open a store in Delhi shortly,” he said.

No wedding can be complete without jewellery and every top gem house was present including Tanishq, La Solitaire and Diagold Naqsh. The biggest players in the watch world like Harry Winston, Audemars Piguet, Graham, Cartier, Movado & Ebel and yes even, Titan made their presence felt too.

Of course besides bridalwear and jewellery, the venue had stalls hawking anything and everything associated with weddings — invitation cards, gift wrapping services, honeymoon packages and more. If that’s not enough, wedding planners, Shaadi Online, also made its mark — for instance, it’s now offering extravagant functions in Malaysia. “This concept is catching up and has many takers,” said Nancy Kohli from Shaadi Online.

Photograph of Maharani exhibition by Prem Singh