Dressing like the icon

The crowd gathered tightly around the edge of the swimming pool virtually threatening to collapse into the water like a set of well-placed dominoes as they waited for the Michael Jackson inspired fashion show by Michelle Salins and Viren Khanna to begin. Love him or hate him, you simply can’t ignore him was the motto of the evening as models strutted their stuff on the ramp which extended adventurously into an aquamarine expanse of watery space. The glam quotient was highlighted by Robin Uthappa, Sharmila Mandre and a host of well-known glamourous faces like Nioosha and Vidya Krishnan.

Long evening dresses, sparkly bustiers, sequinned tops worn with skirts, shorts or tapered trousers, the collection was a mix of dressy, formal and party wear.

The emphasis was definitely on the bling factor with tunic style tops that carried multi-coloured panels of intricately embroidered sequins, black chiffons with crystal and stones making a strong statement around the neckline and plenty of shimmer and glitz for added effect. While the models wore their hair in a casual, loose style, the shoes and accessories ranged from knee-high boots to strappy heels and fashionable pumps.

Long gowns and sarees with embroidered borders, again with a lot of the solid blacks and whites set off with single flowers or jewelled belts, were quite effective. The men’s fashion veered towards satin shirts with full  sleeves with a bit of flounce, to form fitted ones and classic white tailored formals worn with black trousers.

The showstopper was a white satin bridal gown worn by Sharmila Mandre with a pair of oversized angel wings added on for effect and Robin Uthappa in a bold silk ensemble in shades of rust and maroon.

 “Michael definitely inspired this collection which is a tribute to his individual style statement which influenced young people all over the world. Whether you take his military-style coats, his red leather jackets, mono-gloves, aviator shades or his penchant for black and white, there is definitely an iconic factor that provides a designer with a lot of inspiration as well as something to have fun and go totally creative with,” said Michelle.