Passing out in style

The crowd was literally spilling onto the foyer. The grand ballroom of Hotel Taj Coromandel, for once seemed too small, splitting as it was, at its seams. A crowd stood at the very edges of the room, peering into the dim-lit room, cheering enthusiastically.

So what was happening inside? A lot of loud music, party lights and centrestage, this grand ramp, playing host to some of the grandest personalities of the Indian catwalk.

When the lights came on, it lit up the heads of the milling crowd - aunts, uncles, mothers, fathers, sisters, friends and students, the early bits on seats and the others standing around. The motley crowd had gathered to witness the passing out show of the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) - Design Collection 2001.

For those familiar with shows of this nature, it was that time of the year again, when Chennai's top fashion institute showcases the talent of its students.

Usually a high profile event, the show this year was assuredly no poor cousin as far as glitz, glamour, design and innovation goes.

Twenty graduants made their final presentations, concept designs they had worked hard on, and they had some of the best models in the country carrying off their creations to greater advantage.

What more can budding designers ask for, when for their debut show they have obliging models from the ranks of Bombay's `most popular'- Vidisha Pavate, Shvetha Jaishankar, John Abraham, Kelly Dorjee, to name just a few. Perhaps, the advantage of belonging to a nationally acclaimed alma mater.

Beginning with a video presentation, students were introduced as were their themes, before the models took over the ramp. And the designs? A vast range - from wearable to stylish to imaginative to weird - the students between themselves had managed the works!

The traditional emotions and feelings were very much there, perhaps represented innovatively, vying with neo-ideas and nostalgic revivals of the past.

If one student felt inspired by the `Ballads of Spring', then another found PVC solutions for the `Monsoon'. Of course the `Woman' was there (naturally) and this time, the role model was Tamil firebrand Kannagi as `Agni Kanya'- anger, they said the clothes represented.

The play of silver and black with metal jewellery and Indian shoes made a rather interesting display of the well-worn theme of light and darkness - `Tamasoma Jyotir Gamaya'.

Some like it hot, so `Red Hot Chilli Peppers' appears on the ramp and others like it cool, reflecting freedom with `Relievo'.

Some students attempted a return to the past, going as far back as the Phoenix, Dali-esque surrealism through `The Untitled' and the hip-hop of the seventies through `Retro Re Vamp'. Yet others were inspired by the Hindu pantheon (If only...), foliage patterns `Whispers from the Woods', while some just got creative with the `Disguise's that people wear', `The Fool's Journey' and photojournalism of the `Inner Eye'.

All of them appealing and in varying shades, colours, shapes and sizes, but what appealed most to the judges was the bridal design brief `Combed Reflections' of Smitha Vishwanath, who was adjudged Best Designer.

Four other twenty-year-olds picked up awards for `Traditional skills' (Neetu Padmanabhan - Organic Vogue), `Creativity' (Deepak VK - Resurgence of the obsolete), `Best Mensware' (Moutushi Dey - Bigot Baron) and `Best Constructed Design' (Sandya D - Aeonic Rhapsody).

The audience, though, was left wondering, why a show for which so many people had worked hard for so long, could not have had better sound and emceeing. Small details, after all, make the whole picture.

By Ramya Kannan

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