India Fashion Week opens with glamour

Resplendent in an olive green ‘kurta’ with leaf motifs, former India cricket skipper Kapil Dev lent glitz on Saturday to India’s premier fashion event.

Dev walked the ramp for designers Ashima and Leena Singh on the opening day of the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week to welcome the 2010 Commonwealth Games to be held in New Delhi.

“The show was how to make Delhi green…and to welcome the Commonwealth Games. That is how we have Kapil Dev and Tania,” Singh said. Asian Chess champion Tania Sachdev joined Dev on the catwalk to promote the Games.

Designer Tarun Tahiliani showed his “goddesses” in white, flowy dresses while models for Ashima and Leena Singh wore cream and green embellished with colourful flower petals.

Tahiliani’s collection consisted of his signature fluid drapes.

“We used chiffon, drapes….nothing heavy, everything is meant to feel light, fluid…for the dreamy goddesses.”

India’s traditional handspun ‘Khadi’ claimed centrestage as budding designer Rahul Mishra’s “Threads of Freedom” collection showed off classic muted colours of black, ivory, grey and indigo.

“How can we give Khadi a chic look, which is made in village and can be sold across the globe. This was the entire idea (behind the collection),” Mishra said.

India’s biggest fashion event will run from Oct 24-28 where 110 designers will vie for the attention of around 175 buyers.