Sometimes I felt the same way, also I must confess there are times I concur with the selection of nominees and winners as well. Having said that, I feel that if there is a dearth for suitable candidates for a certain award function, it’s always better to skip organising that function than forcibly carry on with it and draw flak for the same from all quarters.

Most of the awards functions I see today fall into this category. For the sake of glamour or the money that comes through this glamour, such functions are organised in almost every corner under some pretext or the other. From the time they announce the event through the advertisements and editorials carrying the mug shots of the candidates, it’s shock all the way. There are times when I wonder whether the dictionary should refine the meaning of the word ‘style’ seeing these pictures. When these guys realise there are not enough candidates to nominate, the next obvious step is to out all and sundry to fill in the gaps.

Most of the times these events do not even have a qualified jury selecting the candidates. But, in order to make the event popular, a host of Hindi film stars are nominated and given awards to make the affair a successful one. Hey, who wouldn’t want to be called stylish? Obviously they land up happily to receive the style awards… and the event is deemed to be a hit.

I feel style just shouldn’t be judged from the clothes and shoes they wear. It should be seen as an overall affair… while the external style is very important for such an award function, what is also important is what the man carries inside him. It should always be a combination of a good human being coupled with an excellent sartorial sense that should win an award… not just an abusive person in a designer outfit!

Let’s start with the western region. Now, the programmes that are aired from this area and the anchors who appear in the channels probably are the best when it comes to their appearances, including their outfits. Most of them look stylish enough to keep the viewers eyes riveted on the screen. Whether it is the selection of anchors or the kind of outfits they are suppose to wear on the screen seem to be pretty well thought of and the result of the same being pleasant appearances of these anchors at their respective programs. No wonder they are today are being seen as celebrities in their own right.

The moment you move from the western region to the south, the scene changes. The change is drastic. Whether it is the channels from Kerala, where I hail from, or Tamil Nadu which is my neighbouring state, anchors look as if they just walked in from the local fish market. Shabbily (well, this is an understatement) clothed (the titles that appear at the end of the shows clearly states that their outfits have been sourced from some obscure shops in the corner) girls and guys appear and talk all kind of rubbish things and present their progammes – be it a music channel, comedy show or a live award function.

I often wonder how, with all the modern channels penetrating into the nooks and crannies of our country, how the channel owners and producers of these shows fail to understand the appearance of these anchors. Instead of making them appear like maid servants and cab drivers, perhaps it will be a good idea for them to be selected based on their physical appearances (no prejudice here let me tell you, the not-so-pleasing ones I feel should head somewhere else with their stylists who meticulously select the most shabby outfits for them) and then appoint a stylist with some aesthetic sense to clothe them appropriately.

I often laugh looking at these ‘celebrities’ thinking how they ended up looking like that. And this phenomenon travels to the east and some part of north as well. And when it comes to the Malayalee film stars, especially the male, less said is better there as well. I see them in the most prestigious award functions in their most atrociously-casual attire. How about a pair of loose jeans and shirt with a couple of buttons open and sleeves rolled up for a start?

Well, things need to change… and change fast!

The newcomer claims that there are plenty of big names on his side and that he will leave no stone unturned to make his entry into the Capital a huge affair. And the other one, an established on with a proven track record and backed by the fashion designer’s council, is also bound to be an affair to remember. But one of them got to be better than the other. But how is this going to happen?

If you ask me, I don’t really go by the names of fashion designers that appear on the fashion runway. So there really is. No point in throwing their big names on my face to show that one is bigger than the other. For me, I much rather see their collections on the runway, from a big name or a not-so-big name, and then decide.

I say this because I have seen crappy collections from designers with huge profiles and excellent ones from those who don’t have big names. End of the day what really matters is what they show on the runway and that will define the success of the event.

Add to that the crowd profile. At couture weeks its always good to have the creme-de-la-creme on the sides of the runways watching the presentation. If that’s missing, then there is a problem.

Plus, the settings and decor of the show also matters when it comes to a high-end showing. So let’s see who will put all these together one show after the other.

Then it will be time for us to decide who is the winner.

For the last few years our Indian stars have been making their appearances, notably among them being Ash Rai Bachchan, and they always, especially Ash, looked stylish.

But this time, while most others including Mallika Sherawat looked decent enough among the rest of the stars there, I was shocked to see a Vidya Balan in an outfit with a covered head reminiscent of some backward tribal style. Add to that the man who all of us unconditionally love, the legendary Amitabh Bachchan in a sequinned tux that only because of Big B was wearing stopped me from throwing my ashtray onto my plasma screen or on the next day tear my newspapers apart. The outfit was awful, to say the least.

The designer and the stylist of both these actors should be sent to the jail for solitary confinement for the rest of their lives… After all what were they thinking while making these stars wear these horrible outfits?

I love Vidya when she wears saris. She looks elegant and carry them off with panache. At the latest issue of Marie Claire magazine I saw her in some western designer outfits. She looked chic. But this outfit at Cannes? Vidya should stop listening to her stylist and designer and instead take a deep breath and take a long look at herself in the mirror before she accept these kind of outfits. From every angle she looked like a representative from an under developed country with too much of ‘tradition’ woven around her. I don’t think these traditions and such traditional creations as this particular outfit would any case make an impact there. Would any one have noticed it there? The answer is ‘of course’!

Big B on the other hand was another disaster with his shiny look. If, such an iconic star as Amitabh Bachchan, whom I revered all my life, ended up looking as if a wannabe society lady in a sequined gown fell on him before he made the Cannes appearance, it’s only because his designer and stylist didn’t know a thing about style. As I said, only because it’s Amitabh Bachchan that I controlled my disgust and angst towards his designer. Perhaps the designer decided to take a chance because it was the Big B who was going to wear his ill-fated creation.

Cannes is not just about films. When it comes to fashion, it plays a huge role in the portrayal of styles and designer brands. While Gucci and Armani makes the most of it with dressing up their stars in the most chic outfits, our designers should atleast make an honest effort to do the same from our side too!

Barring a few, very few at that, Indian fashion is not really accepted in the world markets. Whether it is the complacent mindset or the lack of opportunities provided by those who are responsible, the fact remains the same the: none of our designers have made it big worldwide as is the case with other such Asian designers as Yohji Yamamoto, Kenzo, Rei Kawakubo or Issey Miyake.

What could possibly the reason for this?

First let’s examine this from the designers’ side. While all the other Asian designers who have made it big in the Western fashion scene have successfully translated their country-specific sartorial styles so as to suit the markets there, those who attempted from here either tried to imitate those successful Western fashion designers (of course with a little here and little there kind of Indianness on their garments) or did an over doze of India in their collections. While they all know the essence remains in the conversion of Indian onto wearable western sensibilities, they somehow left that very essence behind while trying their hands in these markets. Add to that their overzealous price tags. It is rather unfortunate that we still don’t have a name that screams loud its global acceptance.

Second, none of the organisations that exist in India are known anything more than organising fashion weeks. Whether it is the Chambre Syndicale of Paris, CDMI of Milan, British Fashion Council of London and CFDA of New York, they all are known much more than organising just fashion weeks. They push hard for their member designers and do other activities related to fashion through the year.

Five years or so into the formation of the Fashion Design Council of India, I used to tell its Executive Director that time that the Council should indulge in all possible activities related to fashion for promoting its member designers. If nothing happened that time, it remains the same even now.

If fashion needs to move forward, as it should, we need to make a concerted effort to give it the push that it needs. So far no one does it and that includes the media and its editors.

Until that happens it will remain a small scale industry with big egos and attitudes.

Initially when it all began, I used to think that no one will take part in these fashion weeks as the kind of business they would want out of these Weeks might not come from them. But, to my surprise, wherever these fashion weeks sprung up, there were enough fashion designers to pull them through.

Come to think of it, if brand recall is what they want out of these events, I guess they do get the same from them. Brand recall will eventually convert itself into some business atleast at some point in time. While FDCI’s Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week offered spot orders and sales along with some from Lakme Fashion Week, the rest of them, from Kochi to Shillong offered a bit of brand recall to these participating designers.

Even the ones organised by liquor brands and done in multiple cities offered them the same. Also what these designers get is royal treatment all the way — from business class air passage to five star hotel all inclusive stays along with the press coverage. That I suspect is the ’success’ of all these events.

Hardcore fashion loyalists may say these newcomers are frivolous and offer nothing in terms of business. But my question is how come our designers are being part of it? Either by way of business, or by way of their participation fees or as I said in terms of brand recall that sometimes turn into business transactions the designers are getting their money anyway. And of course these shows are fun… Not just for the spectators, but for these designers too. So what the heck?

With the news that the Amby Valley India Bridal Week is now coming to Delhi after its attempts in Mumbai for the last three years, murmurs and bickering have started in the fashion capital.

The word is that many of the leading names have confirmed their participation at the bridal week (all of them FDCI members) and FDCI is unhappy with its own members lining up with a competing fashion event in the same city.

AVIBW had announced its dates a few months ago and FDCI announced its dates for Delhi Couture Week a few weeks back and what’s being said is that the dates of the events are now overlapping.

That doesn’t seem to be in good spirit as it won’t be good either for AVIBW or DCW or for that matter those who love fashion.

I remember a few years ago when Sumeet Nair started his fashion week at Delhi’s Emporio, similar clashing of dates happened and it resulted in plenty of confusions and loss of interest in the industry from those who matter.

It trivialised India’s fashion industry which desperately seeks serious recognition by serious bodies.

Now, with this latest confusion, (even as I heard AVIBW has advanced its dates so as not to have a clash), our small world called fashion industry with its big egos and wrong goals will no doubt once again bring down the image of being serious business.

My question is, why the hell should anyone be discouraged or stopped from taking part in another event? Why the hell should any one clash the dates of one’s event with another?

Isn’t it enough for a fashion designer to see what’s best for him and his business? Who the hell are others to decided what’s best for them? Who the hell are they to leash them so as to make them dance to their tunes?

It definitely is a laughing matter. Our designer industry is so small that there really shouldn’t be anything that prevents individual growth from
happening.

All should and must be free to take part in any event that they deem fit for them. They should know that anyone who try to stop them can never be their well wisher.

More than a decade ago, it was Delhi’s entrepreneur Divya Gurwara pioneered the concept of such a fashion event titled ‘Bridal Asia’. Over the years she has successfully managed to bring the event to one of the most sought-after affairs in this country with shows and stalls being laid out during the event.

Three years ago, Mumbai-based businessman Vijay Singh came out with a similar event, but in the form of a fashion week, called ‘Amby Valley India Bridal Week’ where the accent was on runway shows. On its third year, Singh is expanding his wings to bring the same from Mumbai to New Delhi as well in the same year with several fashion stalwarts rallying behind him.

Between Gurwara and Singh, several other bridal events have come up. One of the most successful one among them being ‘Vivaha’, started by Delhi’s Tarun Sarda. Earlier this month, fashion magazine Vogue has also held a similar event in Delhi with a select few designers.

All these point towards the enormous business opportunities that lie before our fashion designers during the wedding season in India. Increasingly, the so called avant garde designers are entering into the bridalwear segment in order not just to make money but to sustain their business as well. Those who started as western wear designers have by now either converted themselves totally into Indian wear or now coming out with such terms as ‘cocktail saris’ in order to woo the vast opportunties that come during the wedding season.

With this and more happening in terms of accessories and jewellery, in the coming years the scope for such bridal events is only going to grow.

So each season whether in Delhi or Mumbai, I get to hear plenty. That they didn’t get their due, that buyers were kidnapped and sent to a few stalls and shows, that the stall location was crap, that they didn’t get a stall at all, etc, etc.

I wonder why we never had a fashion fair in India. I often visit such fairs as Tranoi, Pittie Imagine, etc and there I see hundreds of buyers milling around buying from exhibitors from around the world. These fairs are positioned in such a manner as to not to clash with any major fashion weeks and at places where all would love to go to. These are organised well and all go participate in them go home happy as well.

Perhaps we too should have such a fair here. May be we should make an attempt and see how such an event would work here. There are many talented ones here who don’t get places in fashion weeks because of politics. Such people will get a chance to showcase what they have to offer at such a fair.

It will be a great thing to have here. Exhibition stalls with preview areas coupled with cafes, eateries and meeting places with hundreds of fashion and lifestyle brands and products on display. Not a bad idea, don’t you think?

I asked a friend to click the photo. The moment it happened, the manager of the store sprung to her feet and said to me, “you have taken a photo? You know you are not supposed to do that?” Then, pointing a signage on the wall she continued, “See it’s all written there…”

There were three other ladies there that time. They all looked at me for my reaction. All off a sudden I felt like a villager in a fancy store… someone who has done something that he wasn’t supposed to! I told the manager, “I am fashion editor of Hindustan Times and I know the designer well and the picture I have taken is for sending to the designer.”

Of course the manager was nice enough to apologise and explain the reason why she had to say such things to me. According to her and the designer, some clients go to the store and click pictures of the creations and the copy the same!

I was amused. Of course this wasn’t the first time that I have heard of such paranoia from some of our fashion designers. One of the most interesting things I had heard was when a designer told me, “Can you imagine… Some people come and buy several outfits and then copy the same and sell them at less than half my prices…” Oh well, aren’t you happy that you managed to sell several of your creations? Isn’t this also called a sale? Or is there any rule that these outfits will only be sold to those this designer has a liking or approval… Like that of a scheduled drug?

C’mon guys… These kinds of acts trivialise the fashion industry. Don’t you know that a wealthy industrialist will only come to you for your creation and not to those who (if at all) imitates yours? The fake ones hover around only in areas where these designers have no interest in… socially and economically. And how many of our designers have taken these fake rackets head on?

I would much rather not see anyone telling people not to take photos or display such warnings on the walls as if it’s a space station where photography can be prohibited for national security! If they are so worried how will they ever sell through online? By not showing their merchandise?!

Such apprehensions and the subsequent actions that lead to such warnings and display boards will only make such designers a laughing matter. End of the day what sells is what is real when it comes to real business. Fakes are everywhere, whether you let them take picture or not. But as they say, ‘a fake can never be as good as its original.”

Then why worry?