Magnifique

The intoxicating scent of desi gulab, a runway lined with an Ashoka tree and rose props, and potent clothing ideas presented by a veteran.

The intoxicating scent of desi gulab, a runway lined with an Ashoka tree and rose props, and potent clothing ideas presented by a veteran.
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Three powerful antidotes that muddled up to create a balm that eased the pain and embarrassment of the previous day.

Originally meant to open on Wednesday, India Fashion Week touted as "Asia's biggest trade fair" was postponed to Thursday after the Delhi Police refused to dish out an NOC citing fire safety hazards as reason.

The event got its much needed Pepto-shot at noon, with Tarun Tahiliani's Fall/Winter 2010-2011 showcase.
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Tarun Tahiliani At: 12.30 pm

It was a collection clearly in line with current international obsession with military detailing, extending to tailoring style and the use of uniform buttons.

Innerwear peeped out of a transparent silk applique tunic dress with ostrich feather wisps; once again a raging trend abroad.
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But Tarun also chose to reserve time for celebrating what's indigenous and Indian chikankari, shibori, resham, bandhini, Ikat and Kantha mingling effortlessly with textures and colours reminiscent of the Byzantine empire.

Zardozi gilets perched atop tees, sarongs and TT's signature sari drapes held together by embroidered belts were worn by models who marched withu00a0 seductive confidence in rivet-studded wedges.

Not someone to ignore his male clients, Tarun's 57-garment line-up was interspersed with constructed warp and weft, lending both, direction and comfort to the male body contour.
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The classic sherwani took a contemporary turn, with pintuck collars and wide trousers for company.

Military-inspired suitsu00a0 were teamed with linen pants, khaki plackets over Aligarhi pants, offset by a Dabu scarf. The Dabu print was seen on scarves, saris, stoles, even a kurta.

Actress Sonam Kapoor (seated second from right) was spotted sitting on front row at the Ankita and Anjana Bhargav's show

The artistic craft originates in far-flung villages of Rajasthan and Gujarat, and involves a tedious elaborate process of hand drawing patterns on a block of wood, later hand carved into blocks and dunked into vegetable dye vats.
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In a market marked by the maniacal explosion of international brands hankering to grab the Indian buyer's attention, TT's collection reminded us once again that it's right here in India that the "luxury" of hand-done crafts first originated.

'Box'er Shots

Visual artist Akshay Rathore showcased his proficiency with collage photography in Gaurav Gupta's Victorian-styled show.
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Though the installation was not massive, it gelled well with the overall theme.



Just like small dots come together to form a picture, here, several tiny pictures came together to make a bigger picture that Akshay calls pixel photography.

"Gaurav has used a lot of cheques in red and black, which matches my work. Exhibitions and shows are commion for an artist, but a collaboration like this is satisfying," said Akshay.