Triumphant on the runway

It’s hard to imagine a display that could trump last week’s extravaganza — but the south zonal round of the Metrolife Fashion Show had all the ingredients that went in to creating the perfect evening.

With a whopping 17 colleges coming together to battle it out for the coveted places in this season’s finals, the ramp witnessed a riot of colours and style statements. Glamourous music, cutting-edge creations and the perfect attitude made for a glitzy ensemble.

There’s no doubt that campus couture is every bit as fashionable as the creations that hit some of Bangalore’s best ramps. The students pulled all stops and emerged with collections that dazzled the eye.

The judges for the evening were no less glamourous — noted designer Paresh Lamba comprised the panel, along with Sandalwood actresses Neettoo and Sindhu Loknath. While Neettoo made quite a statement in her floral-print dress, Sindhu looked pretty in a turquoise number with silvery heels. MC Amar kept the crowd pumped throughout the show, chatting with the judges and audience alike.

The show got off to a perfect start with Oxford College of Business Management, which showcased a mean garage theme. Sporting tattered shorts, ripped ganjis, messy hair-dos and smeared with oodles of grease, they made quite a statement. Next up was Baldwin Women’s Methodist College — the girls looked elegant in rich silk saris, in a myriad of bright colours.

Clad in peacock blue, bottle green and deep maroon creations, with elaborate zari work, they sashayed down the ramp.

The students of RV Institute of Management put up a ‘time machine’ ensemble, with heavily-worked ethnic creations that transported one back to an era of nawabs. Colleges like C B Bhandari Jain College, APS College of Commerce and Dayananda Sagar College of Engineering took the show forward with a motley rich ethnic collections.

The girls from Jyoti Nivas College marked a departure from tradition with their gothic theme. Dressed in dark clothes with heavy make up and stilettos, they were quite a picture on the ramp.

Dayananda Sagar Junior Business School and Sri Bhagwan Mahaveer Jain College impressed equally — while the former went for a fusion theme with brightly-coloured jodhpurs and lehengas, the latter showcased a marriage collection, set to a catchy tune.
Oxford College of Science and Surana Degree College came next. The latter went for a retro collection, complete with pinstripes, colourful aviators and bright shades of lipstick.

Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication presented quite a picture in their elegant saris and lehengas, with old-fashioned accessories like kamarbands, while Oxford College of Arts went for a prom night theme; the girls stuck to pretty dresses and heels while the boys went formal with suits.

PES Degree College impressed with their saris — with a modern twist. The garments were cropped to their knees and draped in a toga-esque style. The show came to an elegant end with Symbiosis Institute of Business Management, whose students stuck to simple black frocks and suits which they accessorised with feathered and sequinned masks.

The icing on the cake, so to say, was a dance by the students of Oxford College.
They began their number to a few catchy tunes like Why This Kolaveri Di, after which they shifted to a more serious them­e, such as violence against women. The seamless manner in which the performance shifted from serious to a light note once more was quite eye-catching.

 Prajeesh, a student of the college who helped put together the number, explains, “We wanted to do something based on violence against women, and felt the dance would be the best platform to do so. It took us around a week to put the whole show together.”

The anticipation in the hall rose to a whole new level when the results were to be announced. The judges got on stage and Neettoo and Sindhu sportingly sashayed across the ramp, to the delight of their fans.

Ultimately, Dayananda Sagar College of Engineering bagged the first prize with their ethnic collection, while Surana Degree College’s retro theme got them the second place. The girls from Jyoti Nivas College came a close third, securing their place in the finale of the show as well.