A model walks the ramp for Adarsh Gill on Sunday. PHOTO: Asian Age

It won’t be an exaggeration if we say the second day of Synergy 1 Delhi Couture Week was an ode to glitterati. The flavour of the day was clearly “bold and bling”. With opulent designs accentuated by extraordinarily high amount of shimmer, designer Manav Ganwani raised a toast to his Bollywood friends, who attended the show and cheered for his couture collection titled “A Timeless Affair”. Incidentally, the show turned out to be more like a “star-studded affair” with actor Rahul Khanna, Zayed Khan, Fardeen Khan with his wife Natasha, Raveena Tandon with Anil Thadani, Dino Morea, Soha Ali Khan, Sophie Choudry and jewellery designer Farah Khan Ali, spotted at the front-row. Soha and Sophie donned Manav’s yellow-white shimmery saris, whereas Raveena looked stunning in her crystal embellished white sari.
Manav’s show was a tale of timeless journey, which he interpreted on the ramp using hues of pristine white, canary yellow and flaming oranges. The show started with a haunting din of chimes and clock sounds, and later the props depicting wheels of time, zodiac and universe emerged on the ramp. The designer used rich fabrics, like gold dust georgette, Italian chiffon, French lace, Chinese silk, velvet and fine tulle to create a glamorous line of gowns, voluminous skirts, flared lehengas, sensuous saris and layered anarkalis.
Manav’s penchant for shimmer was evident from the extensive use of Swarovski crystals, jewelled embroidery and sequins in the outfits.
However, some of the pieces strikingly reminded of the global haute couture creations that were high on sheer and fine laces this season. Talking about the collection and its “international” appeal, Manav said, “This is what I would call “couture in true sense”. I am not being boastful here, but this is how international couturiers create timeless pieces. The hues from white to orange were my way of showing the time from dawn to dusk.”
After a sparkling journey of time, the next show was Suneet Varma’s “Kamasutra” collection. Perhaps, the designer’s “passionate” attempt to create a line of heavily embellished sensual bridal ensembles couldn’t actually generate too much heat on the ramp. The show was opened by model Lakshmi Rana, who wore a bright red lehenga paired with golden pointing screw-like metallic choli, which immediately brought the images of Lady Gaga and 80’s Madonna (cone bra) alive. The lacy numbers and use of sheer fabric dominated Suneet’s feminine bridal wear. He used traditional embroidery, zardozi, kundan and intricate thread-work to bring out the luxe factor in his outfits. A shimmering bejewelled sari worn by svelte model Jesse Randhawa won accolades from the audience. The models at Suneet’s show also adorned interesting pointed headgears, payals and heavily embellished short choli shrugs to complete the look.
Suneet used rich Indian colours, like crimson and fuchsia, and paired them with gold panel borders to create ruffled lehengas, saris, shararas and anarkalis. He also experimented with shades of Prussian blue, jet black and silver embellishments for a separate line of cocktail garments. His last colour palette was a mix of lighter shades of pink, yellow, aquamarine, teal and peach.