A contract that says models must mingle with guests after the show. a designer who was dropped because he demanded money to show his line.u00a0A model still waiting to meet Sachin -- and everything you didn't know about theu00a0IPL parties

There's a clear winner here. Some of India's top models including Sonalika Sahay, Candice Pinto, Laxmi Rana and Mridula Chandrashekhar skipped the just concluded Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week that touts itself to be "Asia's biggest trade fair" to be part of a "55 fashion shows and 55 parties" extravaganza instead. "It would have been difficult to say no to 28 shows at the IPL, when Fashion Week had just 14 shows. I got done with the Chivas fashion tour and Mumbai's Lakme Fashion Week. So, I thought why not do IPL instead, and make more money!" says a candid Candice.



This year's IPL season made sure there was as much off the field action as on it, letting ex-supermodel Mehr Jessia Rampal take charge of organising post-match parties, throwing in a bit of fashion, with some of India's best known designers showcasing their collections every night in cities across India.

Models must mingle
Top rung models charge as much as Rs 35,000 per show. Even with a 30% discount for IPL, they end up making close to Rs 24,000 every night. That's Rs 6,86,000 over 28 days. Monetary perks aside, all of them travel first class, stay at 5-stars and are allowed to party in a different city each night.

The models' contract reveals partying is mandatory, with a clause stating that they must mingle with the guests after they are done walking the ramp. While this may have caused some apprehension among the model brigade at first, Mridula says they knew what they were signing up for.u00a0"We all signed the contract. Models help build a good-looking crowd. IPL shows are nothing like fashion weeks. It's entertainment, why get upset?"

Mehr Jessia Rampal, whose company Chasing Ganesha (run in partnership with actor-husband Arjun Rampal) is organising these glitzy dos, says the arrangement only works for models, who are free to bring along friends and family to party with some of India's biggest cricketers and faces from glamour.u00a0

Those left smiling
For Mumbai designer James Ferreira, the show in Chennai worked perfectly to help him land new buyers since he was showcasing for the first time in South India's capital. He ended up striking a 120-piece deal with Evolutionize fashion store. Veteran Mumbai designer Monisha Jaising and Mehr started their careers around the same time, 25 years ago, making her an obvious part of the designer line-up. "I knew this wasn't a trade event, but a celebration. And with Mumbai winning that night, my show became special." Being an ardent cricket fan was enough of an incentive for Ahmedabad-based Anuj Sharma to jump at the opportunity of introducing his designs to cricketers, although he sheepishly admits how his grand plan to meet Sachin Tendulkar went kaput.

Actor Dino Morea arrives with socialite Haseena Jethmalani

"He never showed up," the young designer from Ahmedabad complains. Kolkata-based Dev and Nil's show had a star-studded attendance -- actor and KKR owner Shahrukh Khan, industrialist and Royal Challengers owner Dr Vijay Mallya, and actress Deepika Padukone. "Where else would we get such bigwigs coming to see our show?"
Nil asks. Kallol Datta, who considers himself a non-mainstream designer, felt the offer was a "cool thing" to happen to him, although he was told by Mehr to steer clear of edgy music that's synonymous with him, and agree to something more commercial.

No serious fashion
India can boast of only a handful of designers like Arjun Saluja, Abraham & Thakore, Rajesh Pratap Singh, Saviojon Fernandes and Kallol, whose strong-themed clothes need an environment to take their design story forward, created via sets, music, hair and make-up. While the rest stayed away from the event, Kallol and Saviojon couldn't resist the temptation, with a veteran like Mehr spearheading the event. "I didn't know what to expect but I didn't think my clothes would be paraded by models walking casually, smiling, and even dancing to club music on the runway. It was a bit of a shock, and I didn't feel worthy enough to take a bow," admits Kallol.


In fact, SRK noticed Kallol's hesitation and was overheard asking his friends, "Why is he so shy?"

The fiercely reticent Goa-based Saviojon Fernandes' show in Chennai began at an unearthly 2.30 am. He admits it was a "culture shock". "I don't know anything about cricket, and neither are my clothes testrosome-friendly.

For me, fashion is only about clothes. Even if it's a commercial event like the IPL show, I start panicking about the hair, make-up, music, one month in advance."

Anuj says IPL is based on a money-making model and fashion is being used to add glamour to the event. James Ferreira wonders what the hullabaloo is about anyway. "Who takes fashion seriously in this country? It's all about who is your showstopper, and who's doing the finalu00c3u00a9. How does FDCI plan to tackle this issue, I want to ask? Let's not blame IPL for starting the trend of associating fashion with entertainment. Indian Fashion Weeks have been treating fashion just as casually for years now."u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0