Fashion passion is what you always associate Lakmé Fashion Week with. Lakme Fashion Week Summer/Resort 2020 has a nice ring to it, considering there is another 20 – yes, it is the 20 year anniversary celebration, scheduled from February 12 to 16 at JioWorld Garden, BKC.
There is a feeling of nostalgia and newness for those involved in this fashion feast and those who have attended it from the very inception. It kick-started at the Taj Mahal Hotel in Colaba, at the majestic Ballroom but you had to go early for the show since, if you were late, the only seat you would find was behind one of the pillars in that stately setting!
Initially titled Lakme India Fashion Week, shuttling between Mumbai and Delhi, it settled down to Lakmé Fashion Week (LFW), held only in Mumbai. From the old-world charm of the historic Taj, it moved to the NCPA at Nariman Point, then to Grand Hyatt in Vakola and now oscillates between St. Regis in Lower Parel and JioWold Garden in BKC.
Some people harp on the old days, saying how they liked the Grand Hyatt and how it was the best venue; others converse about which is better: St Regis or JioWorld Garden. Some swear by St. Regis, particularly those who received meal coupons for the lavish buffet spread at the hotel’s Seven Kitchens and how they could spend their time in between shows by going down to the Palladium. Others complain that they have to flit between floor eight and nine at the hotel and so Jio is better as it is on one level.
Of course, not everyone has access to the VIP lounge, so they crib that it can get hot in the open as they exit from the main show area. Talking of the VIP lounge, this is a truly fashionable place to be. You get a chance to rub shoulders with socialites, celebrities, fashion designers and models who drop by for a quick glass of wine before heading to strut their thing on the catwalk. Being in the lounge is an intoxicating experience for guests as they have access to the choicest of beers, wines, spirits and cocktails, all at no cost! Yes, there are other bars around but these are pay bars.
Photographers and the general public (for everyone is a photographer nowadays with his or her fancy cellphone) revel at the red carpet, crazily clicking away and requesting for selfies to quickly upload on social media.
A nice thing about Lakme Fashion Week is that there is no dress code. Priyanka Chopra would be most welcome in her Grammy gown! Boys can dress like girls, girls can dress like boys, ladies can look lovely in their designer wear, men can look dapper in their sharp suits. And the colours are varied, from black (you just can’t go wrong in black) to muted shades and burst of colour, some perhaps appearing a bit gaudy, but then nobody is complaining.
Yes, it’s always nice to be at Lakme Fashion Week, either at the Summer/Resort edition or the Winter/Festive one. And while Delhi boasts that their fashion week is all about the business of fashion, LFW is one up: it is about the business and also pleasure of fashion!
