Amitabh Bachchan creates frenzy on LFW day three

MUMBAI - The ongoing Lakme Fashion Week (LFW) finally got its dose of star power when Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan and his wife and veteran actress Jaya Bachchan came to watch Anupama Dayal and Nachiket Barve’s dual show here Sunday.

Amitabh, who was Barve’s guest for the evening, was dressed in a grey suit and white shirt. He left the shutter bugs and the audiences in a frenzy as he entered the venue with Jaya, who was dressed in a black saree with a colourful border designed by Barve.

“I have always shied away from Indian wear because I felt it should not look like someone else and have to have my own stamp and a distinct visual language. It was the first sari I have made and it was for her (Jaya Bachchan),” Barve told IANS.

The Bachchan couple commanded such an aura among the guests present at the at the show, that when they entered the main show area to get seated, the people present broke into an applause. Later the two were seen thoroughly enjoying the Indian line of Dayal and the western collection of Barve and quickly left once it was over.

Barve was humbled by Amitabh’s presence and said: “He has attended any fashion week for the first time today. It was a very humbling experience and I am super glad. He has seen my work privately but it was very nice of him to grace the occasion.”

“Even before my best of gen-next collection, two weeks ago, I was panicking…(I) didn’t know who will give me the right opinion. So, I had taken the work to Ms. Bachchan and she had given the feedback,” he added.

Dayal’s collection opened the show with traditional garments mainly lehengas, sarees, anarkali suits, shararas and kurtis.

“It started with the visit to a museum of Mughal jewels in Singapore. I saw the jewels and the beauty of the jewels completely blinded me and inspired me to do the first ever Indian bridal collection. This as much celebrates craftsmanship and colours, it also celebrates the colour of the Indian women,” said Dayal, who has done an India inspired line for the first time.

Models sashayed down the ramp wearing designs that were in beautiful hues of red, green, orange, pink, peach and white. Gold work and Indian motifs like paisley and floral designs were predominant.

The fabrics mainly used were net, crepe, velvet and even satin. The collection highlighted the festive mood and brought to the ramp a deluge of colours.

On the other hand, Barve’s line was purely western with Moroccan and Turkish patterns mainly created for the globe trotting woman of today.

“The collection was called Magpie, a bird that steals shiny objects to decorate his nest. It had a very direct inspiration from the past,” said the designer.

“It’s like putting together the collective DNA of Nachiket lable, what a Nachiket Barve client wears…what is the lifestyle and then put together things which are very reverse, a motif from Morocco, a colour from Turkey and a detail of fabrics from Russia,” the designer said.

“And these things come together and make a magic mix. It’s for the Nachiket Barve client be it anywhere across the world,” said the designer.

The line showcased clothes made of fabrics like chiffon, georgette, crepe, shot silk, organza and lurex and the colour palette ranged from cranberry, orange, burgundy, turquoise, plum, purple, blue and green.

The designer used textured thread embroideries and hand embroidery using silk and glass beads to give an edge to the collection comprising layered dresses.