Ranbir Kapoor for Arjun khanna

If anyone thought they would spend Day One of Lakme Fashion Week watching beautiful creations on the ramp, they didn’t bargain for Manish Malhotra and his front row filled with the beautiful creatures off it. About all of Bollywood dropped in as fashion week kicked off — first lady Gauri Khan to dancing queen Farah Khan, current hottie Deepika Padukone to comeback hottie Kajol, and finally, hot couple Saif and Kareena. All to watch, not to walk. Except Padma Lakshmi, who was persuaded to take the ramp if only to give the shutterbugs a better angle.

Manish Malhotra presented Lux Temptation, a feminine and sexy collection that flaunted all that Brand Manish stands for. His signature elements were intact — pastels, satins, chiffons, ombre and a dash of bling in the form of sparkling straps.

Jesse Randhawa opened his show in a nude Venus-neck trailing gown. The style story and mood was set immediately. The silhouettes were non-cluttered in every way. No embellishment, no embroidery, not even any prints. Simple cuts and sexy styles marked the entire show. The collection saw a few separates like silver lame hot pants and 70s-style palazzos, chiffon shirts and micro mini skirts. But it was dresses in all forms and shapes that stormed the ramp. Floor-sweeping gowns to bottom-hugging minis, every piece screamed femme fatale. The colours were feminine too — salmon, baby pink, peach, coral, champagne, nude and watermelon red with an occasional dash of gold and silver. The outfits were accessorised with wide belts and oversized totes and a happy throw of bangles.

Padma Lakshmi

Indrani Dasgupta for J.J.Valaya

Jesse Randhawa for Manish Malhotra

The last show of the day was reserved for Arjun Khanna. The menswear maverick was inspired by deserts for his fall-winter 2008-09 collection Sandstorm. The colour palette was hence earthy and silhouettes were mostly jackets and jodhpurs. The final act of Day 1 came from actor-turned-showstopper Ranbir Kapoor who walked the ramp in a brown, heavily-embellished sherwani. The star was cheered from the front row by saawariya Deepika Padukone and mom Neetu Kapoor.

And more…

Lakme Fashion Week opened with a Geetanjali Lifestyle show by designer J.J.Valaya at 12.30pm. It was too strongly reminiscent of Paisa, Valaya’s WIFW show in Delhi earlier this month. Beautiful no doubt, but the sense of deja vu was overwhelming — corduroy-lycra skinny pants, classic jackets of all shapes and styles, laser-engraved detailing, laminated prints and coin embroidery. The accessories were also identical — patent bags, paisa-like medallions, silver chains and red parandis… Valaya’s show also had the common showstopper — Rahul Dev!

The front row was occupied with LFW’s star designers who made their presence felt on Day 1. We spotted Sabyasachi Mukherjee, Narendra Kumar and Wendell Rodricks. Suchitra Krishnamoorthy in a printed silk kaftan was also seen concentrating very hard!

Earlier in the evening Krishna Mehta put up a wearable collection for men and women. Her silhouettes were classic. Lots of sherwani-style kurtas and embroidered shirts worn with jodhpurs or slim pants appeared for men. The women wore mostly dresses — kenzo, overlaps, swing and tunic-style with black leggings. Parrots featured prominently in her line, sometimes as print and other times as patchwork or embroidery. Zardosi was also seen frequently on yokes, cummerbunds and even neckpieces. The collection had a serene feel to it. It had a lot to do with her off-colour palette and Indian classical music.