Manish Arora digs into travel diaries for new line

Ace fashion designer Manish Arora on Saturday left the guests mesmerised with his "Indian by Manish Arora Festive 2015-16", a collection inspired by his globe-trotting experience, at the Embassy of France here.

The designer's concept, he said, was inspired by his travel through countries like Iran, Africa, Turkey, America, Bali, China and India, and was interpreted in a beautiful mix of bead and mirror work.

"The inspiration was from my various memories and travel. It was not just one theme.There was many different ideas in each garment.

"I cannot tell you the theme of the garments...but there were many things that were involved," Arora said after showcasing his collection here.

The designer's "connection" with France, he said, made him choose the venue.

"I did a show here last year too. There's is kind of a connection because I have spent half of my life in Paris and it was an obvious choice," he said.

Arora's line was created using materials like silk, crepes, organza and denim. As many as 31 ensembles, including embellished lehenga cholis , dresses, long skirts, coats and pants, were showcased. The colour pallete varied from red, gold, pink, peach, light blue, yellow and metallic silver.

The main highlight was the usage of fluorescent beaded and spiked headgears, Swarovski studded skull bags and glittery backpacks.

The Models sashayed down the ramp with a dramatic make-up, with John Lennon's song "Imagine" playing in the background.

Francois Richier, the ambassador of France to India, told IANS: "Manish and I are very good friends and I really like to support him. He has a strong French association...My contribution was to open the embassy for all the invitees... but as far as fashion is concerned that's his business...I am taking care of the whole environment."

Arora's show was attended by designers Rajesh Pratap Singh, Ritu Kumar, beauty and hair expert Shahnaz Husain, and Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI) President Sunil Sethi.