Bollywood celebrities out in force for Manish Malhotra’s Lakmé Fashion Week opener

Acclaimed Indian designer Manish Malhorta's new exhibition is inspired by nature’s elements .

Indian Bollywood actors Jacqueline Fernandez and Arjun Kapoor showcase creations by designer Manish Malhotra. AFP
Powered by automated translation

When Manish Malhotra returns with a new exhibition, the celebrities queu up.

Such was the case when one of India’s top designers opened Lakmé Fashion Week on March 29, with his new collection Elements.

Running until Sunday, the event is one the biggest on India’s fashion calendar and features a line-up of 90 designers this season, including big names such as Neeta Lulla, Rohit Bal, Wendell Rodricks, Anand Kabra, and Anita Dongre.

But the opening night was all about Malhotra. Bollywood celebrities Arjun Kapoor and Jacqueline Fernandez walked the ramp for the designer as his showstoppers. Malhotra’s creations were also spotted in the front row, with actress Kareena Kapoor Khan turning heads in a glittering beige sari.

The haute couture collection was inspired by the four elements of nature — earth, water, air, and fire — and featured more than 70 ensembles designed with a focus on summer weddings.

The exhibition featured gowns, long skirts, palazzo trousers and graceful drapes in a soft colour palette of pastel pinks, powder blues, light gold and flowing fabrics of organza, tussar, and crepe, with sequinned embroidery. The men wore elegant kurtas, jackets, and tailored trousers and churidars in shades of blue and ivory.

“Elements has been one of my most creatively gratifying experiences,” said Malhotra, who showed two collections at The Address Dubai Marina in October. “The modern Indian bride is my muse, because there really is no point in wearing a gorgeous outfit if the bride cannot have fun in it. I wanted to showcase the expanse of possibilities that young, stylish brides and grooms-to-be could explore for their big day.”

Dia Mirza, Bhumi Penekar, Sangeeta Bijlani, Sooraj Pancholi, and Sophie Choudhry were among the other celebrities at the show, which was held at Mehboob Studio, a film lot in north Mumbai. The stage featured hundreds of paper doves suspended from the ceiling and a large white tree.

Along with his popularity in Bollywood, Malhotra is a favourite designer among international celebrities — Kylie Minogue, Naomi Campbell, and Michael Jackson are some of the stars those who have worn his designs.

Kareena Kapoor Khan praised the designer and said she was “very happy” at the new collection.

“It was grand because they always need Bollywood faces, and he had Jacqui, Kareena, and Arjun,” said Sasha Sharma, critic for Hoture, an online Indian fashion magazine. “I really liked the fabrics and the colours he used. I’m not a very big fan of the embroidery. It’s too blingy and in your face.”

She said that she particularly liked the “minimalistic set-up”.

Fernandez’s outfit was a highlight for Sharma, while Kareena “looked really gorgeous”.

Arjun Kapoor, who stars alongside Kareena Kapoor Khan in the new drama Ki and Ka (which is out in cinemas on March 31, was dressed in a long kurta under a silver jacket. He admitted after the event that he was "not so into fashion. My only achievement in fashion is that Sonam [Kapoor] is my sister".

Saket Dhankar, one of the team behind Lakmé Fashion Week, praised the menswear designs this year.

“Thankfully it was more wearable in my point of view,” he said. “It was not something only for marriage. It was a grand show in terms of the clothes that were shown, in terms of the attendance, in terms of the entire set-up.”

• Lakmé Fashion Week ends Sunday. For details go to www.lakmefashionweek.co.in

artslife@thenational.ae