#DRISHTIAWARDS | PARVESH JAI FASHION SHOW

Last weekend I was granted the wonderful opportunity to assist international designer duo and my dearest friends PARVESH JAI with their unconventional fashion showcase at the first Drishti Awards Gala hosted at Royal King Palace Hall.

With 700+ guests attending the much anticipated awards event, the bars were definitely raised to host one hell of a fashion show extravaganza! Within a two week time crunch, it only made sense to split the responsibilities/area of expertise amongst the three of us; I committed to the following roles: casting/coordinating the models, assisting with the fittings + styling + rehearsals, cueing the models onto the runway, and of course being present during ALL the backstage shenanigans where all the real magic happens.

Inspired by the 1940’s era reigned by patronizing queens and the simple character of a Rajasthani ladies tailor, we completely transformed an ordinary fashion show into a peaceful exhibition of art, high fashion and maximum creativity. Commencing the show and enticing the audience, Gurpreet Grewal (infamous radio host, model and actress) set the runway ablaze walking in sync with a spotlight to ‘Lag Ja Gale’ Followed by the attitude queens sauntering the ramp in a unified amalgamation of western and fusion PARVESH JAI pieces in a black and gold color story. Creating quite the havoc, the affluent and sassy women threw temper tantrums at a hysterical senior tailor (Played by my newest favorite person and B-Town dubsmasher, Alex Arora who set up his little vintage sewing machine and tools to the right of the ‘T’ formed runway) The models soulfully graced the catwalk one by one in sequence with professional dancers from Shiamak Davar’s Institute of Dance to Kirti Arneja’s (an exceptionally talented live singer) moving retro Bollywood classics.

Every look down the catwalk screamed all shades of fierce and the artists of Girlfriendz Studio 7 intensified the glamour appeal through their perfect dramatic winged eyeliner and voluminous vintage high buns. We tastefully played up their hairstyles with white tool fabric and stunning statement necklaces from Carolyn Bruce Designs and Sitare By Aasha. Elevating the art of styling one step further, we even strung a few necklaces from shoulder to shoulder on the sexy low back gowns and eccentric men’s turbans. The kings who accompanied their queens were dressed in lehenga bottoms, sherwani jackets and bold turbans. YES! Gone are the days where only women wear skirts!

PARVESH JAI‘s ever so stunning showstopper queen, Eileen Asere escorted by Eric Kalsi put up the shutters to their show in syncronization of pastel pinks, radiant purples and splashes of astonishing colors in an inimitable, bridal lehenga from their current collection. I personally LOVED the brilliant glam, fun and ‘modern bride’ styling esthetic which Parvesh opted for with Eileen’s look – sexy sequin choli, heavy lehenga bottom with the most exceptional craftmenship and a sheer pink dupatta carefully secured with a bedazzled saree belt from Sitare By Aasha.

After the models sashayed out for their finale walk, I was truly honored to walk down the runway and join in on the fun styled in a ‘choti’ Parvesh Jai draped saree, paired with my velvet cut-out body suit, bold accessories from Bombay Couture and a saree belt from Sitare by Aasha. AND of course Parvesh Jai proudly strutted their stuff in full ‘Mast Kalandar’ attitude celebrating their phenomenal fashion show and the overall sucess of the first Drishti Awards. ** Special thanks and shout out to all the lovely models for their cooperation, time commitment and after party on the dance floor AND to Bal Bhatti of Gorgeous Glow Studio‘s for getting me ready on the day of the event, being present backstage for touch up’s and whatever I needed assistance with!

** Hair & Makeup services for the models: Girlfriendz Studio 7 | Photography: Caramel Studio’s