The bright colours of the season...

It was all about Ritu Beri on the final day of the ‘Blenders Pride Bangalore Fashion Week’.

From the moment one arrived, all everyone spoke about was Ritu Beri’s show and how different it was going to be. It was almost as if the other designers, who were showcasing their collection, didn’t matter. But not being bogged downed by someone stealing their thunder, the rest of the designers proved their mettle when their collection hit the ramp and showed one and all why they deserved to be there.

Ashish Sahani kickstarted the day with his collection — ‘Dimension’. Using only eco-friendly fabrics, his all-white collection was experimental, edgy and futuristic. Tina Gupta followed it up with her collection ‘Let’s Rewind’. The designs were experimental and retained the traditional and vintage elements like lantern sleeves, bell sleeves and other cuts giving it a more fusion look.

Delving into the requirements of today’s generation was Prabhat Kumar with his collection of bags. Termed as ‘Black Magic’, his collection showcased a wide array of bags and clutches and was the talk of the audience. An all-time favourite of most designers is wedding wear and showcasing a different side of this theme was Parul Grover’s ‘The Spring Fling’. Long flowy anarkalis in soft light net and chiffons topped with swarovskis were the highlights of her collection.

Keeping up with the trend of wedding trousseaus, Mohit Falood’s ‘Spring Summer Wedding Collection’ made its way to the ramp. From Thai net wraps, Banarasi fabrics to flowy georgettes blended with silk, Mohit’s collection really stood out. Actress Sayali Bhagat was the showstopper for this designer. “It’s such a privilege to be a showstopper, especially since the designer is so emotionally attached to his garment.

I understand this emotion and hopefully, I have done him proud by walking in it,” said Sayali, who wore a yellow and pink lehenga with traditional kundan work all over it.

After a good two hour wait, the stage was finally set for the grand finale. The lady in question, Ritu Beri, preferred to be away from public eye till the show was over. The ramp was turned into a beautiful golden garden with golden leaves spread all over. The collection, ‘Summerleas’, was a modern take on traditional Indian garments. There were no restrictions on the colour palette as there were hues ranging from white, red, golden, yellow to metallics and black. The collection had a blend of kurtas, ghagras with elaborate odhinis and long flared as well as straight tunics over salwars and churidars. 
      
The collection, she said, talked about all the influences she has had in her life.
Models like Aanchal and Lakshmi Rana walked the ramp for the designer and actress Lisa Haydon was the showstopper.

Nevertheless, Ritu sure did leave many in the audience speechless and everyone had only one thing to say when they left the show — “It was worth the wait.”