Not ready to dare

Models wading into swimming pools or tip-tapping their way down a ramp that had scantily-clad men slithering around like salamanders, were just a few of the shenanigans at the Couture Week in Delhi, which concluded with its usual share of tamasha. Nor were the designers immune to sprinkling their creations with a bit of stardust, as if their crystal-encrusted garments were simply not sparkling enough.

Though fashion weeks all over the world vie for A-listers to attend shows, only in India we determinedly yank them off their front-row seats to sashay down catwalks for their ‘good friends’. In the fashion capitals of the world, be it couture or prêt-a-porter, the clothes do the talking, with hair and makeup as the only force multipliers.

In India, the actual collections are almost incidental to the overall event — barring a few honourable exceptions. All this points to the emerging mantra of the rag trade here: If designs don’t cut it, go in for drama. Of course, it could be said that such a penchant for spectacle is of a piece with the Indian ethos, but that is does not show the Indian design fraternity — some of whom are making a mark internationally for their innovative approaches — in a very favourable light.

This couture week also showed up a curious Indian trait. In the West, couture is distinguished from prêt, or ready-to-wear, not only by price and handcrafted, custom-made perfection but by its single-minded devotion to originality, bordering on whimsy. Couture creations can be downright bizarre and quite unwearable but serve as a peek into the mind of the couturier, who typically tones down his or her creativity for the more commercial (read: wearable, marketable) prêt collections, which then spawn high-street knockoffs. No such distinctions and percolation pattern is discernible in India. No wonder so many designers fall back on star power.