"Visiting first ladies make their mark"
We are getting used to the visiting attractive first ladies Michelle Obama, Sarah Brown and then the Carla Bruni of France who all came looking chic and are sharp too. Michelle was a big hit here. More than their husbands, they were the ones who stole the limelight and got great reviews. But last week, it was the Pakistan's first-ever woman Foreign Minister who stole the limelight in Delhi.
The 34-year-old Hina Rabbani Khar made a fashion statement as soon as she alighted from the plane. Fashionable, expensive, perfect to the point she was dressed in blue colour of the season with Jackie Kennedy-type oversized sunglasses, oversized Hermes Birkin bag costing Rs 7 lakh and to lend the glamour, she added the tasteful pearl jewellery. Young, smiling yet a little conscious dressed in straight pants and not the traditional salwar with a long kurta. Obviously, a lover of international brands. Everything was in place. But as someone commented, "A nation which is going through such troubled times politically and economically should their representative be attired so expensively? Or should they be dressed like our lady politicians Sonia Gandhi or our young lady MPs, tastefully yet simple and affordable to all."
Hina may not have made her first right move politically as she had met with the separatists before she met with the Indian Foreign Minister. What she delivers is yet to be seen but what we saw was a pleasant figure whose every move the world would be watching. This is a fresh new face of today's generation, belonging to an elite family of Pakistan with traces of political blood. A business woman who is comfortable in jeans as in a kurta and is as confident in the polo ground as is head of the foreign ministry. Is this the new generation in Pakistan? Educated, exposed to the western world and a new mindset. Zardari's son Bilawal Zardari Bhutto is set to run for elections next time. Is this his new team in the making?
Hina visited the Nizamuddin Dargah and then the Ajmer Dargah. She met old family friends at the Dargah as she had no time to go to their house. She would have loved to go shopping but as she said 'next time'. Our External Affairs Minister will surely look forward to that.
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"The world of haute couture"
The fashion week known as "Delhi Couture Week" was much more successful this year. Of course, there were some catfights and some blame game of copycats. Otherwise it was fine. Delhiites witnessed a whole lot of Mumbai celebrities walking on the ramp and in the front rows. It seems to be some kind of a new motive to add the touch of 'has been' celebrities just for the extra media attention. The designer whose show they attend seems special. Wonder why?
Must say that our desi designers have learnt the skills of top class embroidery. The touch of modern and tradition really made this fashion show a success. And our Indian models walked the ramp with confidence and such elegance.
The last and the best show as usual was of the designer with the dramatic touch and his each garment was an objet d'art.
Rohit Bal's collection was called 'Shanti'. There were volumes of fabric upon fabric in its purest form. The fragrance of 300 kgs of jasmine flowers which the designer used right from the branches which were set around the ramp and also around the seats of the spectators. It was an amazing sheet of white flowers. An old friend, the dapper Arjun Rampal was the show-stopper at Rohit Bal's show. For the first time this show gave us a feeling that couture was alive in India. It may be a French word but as Indians love fine things, customizing still exists at all the economic levels. It has been India's longstanding tradition.
JJ Valaya's workmanship is something one cannot find fault with. The cultured saris with experimental twists of Gaurav Gupta and with his technical skills to draping and pleating of his materials. One is proud of all these talented designers. The glamorous Sonam Kapoor who really knows 'fashion' opened the show for Bollywood's Manish Malhotra and outshone all other Bollywood stars who walked the ramp for their designers.
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