(From top) Salman Khan woos Preity Zinta while walking the ramp for Surily Goel on Day One of Lakme Fashion Week in Mumbai; John Abraham walks with Shivani Kapur for designer Rocky S; Malaika Arora Khan flashes a shapely leg in a Surily Goel outfit; Mahek Chahal strikes a pose in a Rocky S creation. Pictures by Pabitra Das

There couldn’t have been a more glamorous start to the first fashion week hosted by the glamour capital of the country. Day One of Lakme Fashion Week kicked off at NCPA, Mumbai, in style on Tuesday afternoon, with a flood of star footsteps.

First up, Sangeeta Bijlani and Azharuddin, who were among the first-rowers for the inaugural show by Rocky S at 2 pm. Then a ramp act by John Abraham in a gorgeous black suit capped the show.

But the real star shower was saved for the show that followed at 4 pm — by young designer Surily Goel of Salaam Namaste fame. Akshay Kumar with wife Twinkle was the first to occupy the star corner, which was pretty soon filled up by Preity Zinta, Ness Wadia, Amrita Arora, Sohail Khan, Arbaaz Khan, Riteish, Chunky Pandey, Gauri Khan, Sonali Bendre, Karan Johar, Dino Morea, Sanjay Kapoor, Neetu Singh, Farah Khan, Ritu Nanda…

If that reads like a film awards’ night guest list, a generous sprinkling of Bollywood peppered Surily’s ramp as well. The high-voltage act had actress Neelam inaugurating the first of the four sequences. Malaika Arora Khan made an appearance in the final sequence, showing off her shapely legs in a black and orange skirt.

Salman Khan in a velvety black blazer and a bright red shirt walked the ramp flanked by Neelam and Malaika as a fitting finale to the star-studded show by Bollywood’s favourite budding designer.

Surily’s collection inspired by the rose “explored the varied moods of a woman in love”. The romantic and super-sexy line depicted the transition of a young carefree girl in love to a glamorous woman. “It’s about romance, be it fun flirtation or mature love. The rose being the central theme brings it out through the prints, embroidery and accessories,” smiled Surily.

A vast spectrum of vibrant hues and heavy embellishments — interesting prints, metallic and pearl ornamentation — defined the high-glamour look. Mostly georgettes, combined effectively with crochet, lace and satins, formed the fabric story. Skirts of every possible length, from minis to knee-length to mid-calf and ankle, formed the mainstay of the lowers, coupled with sexy tops in sheer fabric. Mid-thigh dresses, slim-fit pants, poncho tops were seen aplenty.

“It’s a fantastic, feminine, colourful and highly energetic collection. The best thing about the collection is that it’s very wearable; I could easily wear each of the garments,” smiled Neelam, after her first tryst with the ramp.

Femininity was the fashion focus of the day, with Rocky having set the mood earlier with his pret line inspired by “the intuitive killer instinct of a woman”.

“My collection is straight out of a fantasy fairytale with the lovely Lolita as my inspirational muse,” said the designer. The colour palette boasted neutrals with deep pastels, varied hues of pink and champagne, cherry reds and forest greens, all highlighted with matte gold.

Embellished with clear crystals, stones and polished pearls with a lot of lace accents and floral motifs, the look was soft but opulent. Fabrics were soft and flowing, like georgettes and chiffons combined with rich weaves and faux fur.

The silhouettes were flattering. Skirts, from minis to long asymmetrical flowing ones, sheer tops in unusual shapes often paired with fitted short jackets and shrugs, denim skin-hugging pants, corsets and dresses of various shapes made up the line.

“It’s inspired by the 1940s and 70s. It’s for a woman who is flirtatious, sexy and a little naughty… who loves to socialise and party… it’s my interpretation of the diva,” smiled Rocky.