Waking up in the soft bed of The Oberoi, where we've been pampered with the highest service level worthy of a 5-star hotel, overlooking the calm waters of the Arabian Sea and the skyscraper dotted skyline of the city of Mumbai, the slums of the previous day were quickly forgotten.
As we strode into the grand lobby of the National Centre for the Performing Arts yesterday for the Lakme Fashion Week, the sharp contrast of the extreme classes of the citizens of Mumbai became even more apparent. Here at LFW, the most fashionable and of course, the most affluent and the who's who of high society were embracing each other, showing off their immaculate up-to-date wardrobe. Bien sur, that's what they were all here for too. To check out the latest in the Fall/Winter Collection of top Indian designers.
Here at LFW, we were once more struck by the overwhelming adoration the Indians have for Bollywood. A number of stars arrived for the show by one of Bollywood's favourite designers Manish Maholtra, including Kareena, Deepika ... and some others whose names I don't recognise, causing a frenzy among the media. Coincidentally, we stepped into the foyer after our dinner just minutes before the stars. The cameras were so ready to snap before they realised we weren't the stars at all. Haha!!! Our five seconds of star treatment.
We were fortunate to get press passes even though we had no proof of registration since we didn't get a response from the organiser after we registered online. We were also very fortunate to secure seats right at the end of the runway, except for the first show when were still feeling our way around (this is our first fashion coverage after all), so we got some pretty good photos and videos. Despite the mad rush fro the best spot and plenty of squeezing so everyone could get their shots, it was an enjoyable show. And can I say again I miss the energy of the media industry - the adrenaline-charged, action-packed job is not for the faint hearted. I love it because it makes me come alive.
I was mostly in charge of the video since my friend's camera seems to be able to zoom better so she took care of the pictures. There're already tonnes on the web ... you can check out this intensive coverage on Rediff. Below are some from my personal collection.
