Disco and Bollywood glamour joined forces for the opening show at Lakmé Fashion Week, which kicked off in Mumbai on Tuesday evening with gold sequins, elegant kaftans and modern saris dominating the catwalk.
The show, by the Indian designer duo Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla, was presented as an ode to the “21st-century diva” and “retro chic”. The theme went back to the 1970s and 80s for its inspiration. It marked the beginning of Lakmé Fashion Week winter/festive, which is celebrating its 15th year.
Bollywood actresses Sonali Bendre, Dimple Kapadia and Jaya Bachchan watched from the front row, all dressed in outfits in shades of gold, in keeping with the colour scheme of the collection.
They frequently applauded the designs as the models sauntered and danced their way down the catwalk to retro hits, including I Will Survive and Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You, and Bollywood beats.
Gowns and capes were among the silhouettes, with glitzy silver and gold embroidery, sequins and ruffles also on display. The base colours underneath all the sparkle were off-whites, creams and beiges. The collection was called Jawani Jaaneman. The male models were very much a background feature of the show, wearing see-through shirts and sparkling jackets.
The designers’ outfits are popular among Bollywood stars including Amitabh Bachchan, as well as Hollywood A-listers.
Other celebrities who attended the opening event included Sussanne Khan, who used to be married to the actor Hrithik Roshan, and Nita Ambani, the wife of India’s richest man, Mukesh Ambani.
Abu Jani, speaking after the show, said that after working together for almost three decades, the idea for the collection came when Sandeep Khosla suggested going back to their “disco years and disco dance”.
“This is what came up – contemporary disco,” he said. “It’s contemporary India, moving on with the arts and craft and a new take on it. You constantly have to reinvent yourself.”
Sandeep Khosla said it had been a “great experience” and that they had “wanted to do something young, something funky”.
The duo are well known for their regal bridal wear and this marked something of a departure from their previous collections.
“It was very different from what they usually do,” said Sasha Sharma, the editor-in-chief of Hoture, an Indian online fashion magazine.
“This is more blingy, probably because of the festive season, which is why they’ve used a lot sequins, and a lot of metallic fabrics. I feel it’s also because of the disco theme.”
She said she preferred their bridal wear, which they recently showcased, to the clothing on display for the opening show, but nevertheless enjoyed the event.
“The choice of songs, the way the models were dancing on the ramp – it was more like a dance sequence and it was entertaining. I really liked a few outfits from this collection. The ones with ruffles were my favourite.”
Rukhsana Eisa, a grooming and etiquette expert who was in the audience, was impressed by the event.
“I just thought it was a fantastic show,” she said. “The music, the clothes, the choreography – everything was perfect.”
Highlights of Lakmé Fashion Week this season include Manish Malhotra’s first-ever menswear show, The Gentleman’s Club, with Bollywood actor Ranbir Kapoor as the showstopper.
The Delhi-based designer Gaurav Gupta will present his collection for the grand finale on Sunday, with Kareena Kapoor Khan set to walk the runway as the showstopper.
More than 100 designers will be showcasing their work at the Lakmé Fashion Week, which is held at the Palladium Hotel, Mumbai. Some of the prominent names include Ritu Kumar, Tarun Tahiliani, Namrata Joshipura, Anita Dongre, Narendra Kumar, Neeta Lulla and Kallol Dutta.
artslife@thenational.ae
8 traditional Jamaican dishes to try at Kingston 21
- Trench Town Rock: Jamaican-style curry goat served in a pastry basket with a carrot and potato garnish
- Rock Steady Jerk Chicken: chicken marinated for 24 hours and slow-cooked on the grill
- Mento Oxtail: flavoured oxtail stewed for five hours with herbs
- Ackee and salt fish: the national dish of Jamaica makes for a hearty breakfast
- Jamaican porridge: another breakfast favourite, can be made with peanut, cornmeal, banana and plantain
- Jamaican beef patty: a pastry with ground beef filling
- Hellshire Pon di Beach: Fresh fish with pickles
- Out of Many: traditional sweet potato pudding
Non-oil%20trade
%3Cp%3ENon-oil%20trade%20between%20the%20UAE%20and%20Japan%20grew%20by%2034%20per%20cent%20over%20the%20past%20two%20years%2C%20according%20to%20data%20from%20the%20Federal%20Competitiveness%20and%20Statistics%20Centre.%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EIn%2010%20years%2C%20it%20has%20reached%20a%20total%20of%20Dh524.4%20billion.%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ECars%20topped%20the%20list%20of%20the%20top%20five%20commodities%20re-exported%20to%20Japan%20in%202022%2C%20with%20a%20value%20of%20Dh1.3%20billion.%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EJewellery%20and%20ornaments%20amounted%20to%20Dh150%20million%20while%20precious%20metal%20scraps%20amounted%20to%20Dh105%20million.%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERaw%20aluminium%20was%20ranked%20first%20among%20the%20top%20five%20commodities%20exported%20to%20Japan.%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ETop%20of%20the%20list%20of%20commodities%20imported%20from%20Japan%20in%202022%20was%20cars%2C%20with%20a%20value%20of%20Dh20.08%20billion.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Types of fraud
Phishing: Fraudsters send an unsolicited email that appears to be from a financial institution or online retailer. The hoax email requests that you provide sensitive information, often by clicking on to a link leading to a fake website.
Smishing: The SMS equivalent of phishing. Fraudsters falsify the telephone number through “text spoofing,” so that it appears to be a genuine text from the bank.
Vishing: The telephone equivalent of phishing and smishing. Fraudsters may pose as bank staff, police or government officials. They may persuade the consumer to transfer money or divulge personal information.
SIM swap: Fraudsters duplicate the SIM of your mobile number without your knowledge or authorisation, allowing them to conduct financial transactions with your bank.
Identity theft: Someone illegally obtains your confidential information, through various ways, such as theft of your wallet, bank and utility bill statements, computer intrusion and social networks.
Prize scams: Fraudsters claiming to be authorised representatives from well-known organisations (such as Etisalat, du, Dubai Shopping Festival, Expo2020, Lulu Hypermarket etc) contact victims to tell them they have won a cash prize and request them to share confidential banking details to transfer the prize money.
* Nada El Sawy
Company profile
Date started: 2015
Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki
Based: Dubai
Sector: Online grocery delivery
Staff: 200
Funding: Undisclosed, but investors include the Jabbar Internet Group and Venture Friends
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Brolliology: A History of the Umbrella in Life and Literature
By Marion Rankine
Melville House
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
