Vimla Patil was associated with Femina, India’s number one women’s magazine, published by the Times of India Group for 29 years. Femina is Vimla Patil's personal success story. Today, FEMINA is one of the strongest international brands with a vast readership in India and abroad. She initiated the Miss India contest in the mid-sixties for the journal and brought it to its present international stature. Vimla Patil promoted Indian textiles and fashion garments – especially handlooms – for decades by presenting over 4000 fashion shows in India and most countries of the world.
After finishing her long stint with Femina, she built a brand new career for herself as a freelance multi-mediaperson with writing, events, public relations, shows and many more activities in her portfolio!

Vimla Patil will be delighted to answer readers' questions. Please click on the comments page link at the bottom of the article to post your questions for her.

THE NEWS IS – “COLOUR IS KING THIS YEAR”!

One after another, India’s sparkling pantheon of designers is launching seasonal collections in India, Paris and Milan. Everywhere, strong colours and motifs are making their presence felt. Luminescence – with gold and silver patinas – is definitely in! And celebrities supporting social causes are adding that extra zing to the festive fashion scene in India!

Indian Fashion Designers Are Painting The Town Red And Pink!

Colour stands for the vitality of life! And no designer has proved this adage to be truer than Vikram Phadnis, the glamorous designer for Bollywood megastars like Amitabh Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai, Sushmita Sen, Bipasha Basu, Akshaye Khanna, Bobby Deol and Salman Khan. Vikram’s tenth anniversary show in Mumbai was one blast of colours! With Salman, Amitabh, Saif Ali Khan, Bobby Deol and Priyanka Chopra sitting in the front row and Tabu herself walking the ramp in a gorgeous red bridal ensemble, the show was high voltage. “Vikram is Bollywood’s ace designer,” say his admirers, “He has reworked the look of the biggest names in the glamour industry. Vikram is a stylist par excellence. He knows exactly how the human body moves and his clothes are the best tribute to a handsome man and a beautiful, sensuous woman. He was the preferred designer for many international events like the Daimler Chrysler Mercedes Benz event earlier this year.

The magic of black and red! With sensuous body tattoos! Upen Patel and Amrita Arora for Vikarm Phadnis.

Vikram also designed all the outfits for models for the Kingfisher calendar of 2004. He has been the official designer for the Ddamas diamond collection shows and the designer for most stars and performers at the International Indian Film Awards Show 2004 held in Singapore.

Vikram’s clothes this season are stark – vibrantly colourful or sensuously white. His current portfolio was modelled by the romantic pair of model-actors much in the news this season – actress-model Amrita Arora and boyfriend Upen Patel. In keeping with the ‘social cause’ trend this year, Vikarm’s show was held in aid of the St. Anthony’s Home for the Aged!

Vidhi Singhania’s passion for fine Kotah sarees is evident from the exquisite work she has put in for the past decade to rejuvenate the art of weaving in this colourful Rajasthani city. “I was married and suddenly found myself transported from buzzing Mumbai to Kotah, known for its fabulous weaves – started by Maharana Bhimdeo in the 18th century. But the families of traditional weavers were starving without work because there were no buyers for the fine textiles any more! No one had thought of giving a new lease of life to these gossamer-fine fabrics. I loved Kotah weaves and took to this task as a fish takes to water. Today, a decade later, Kotah weaves are once again the chosen fashion statement of the rich and famous. I make sarees, kurtis and Western wear as well as bags and pouches with Kotah embroidery and zariwork and each season, my collection is a sell-out. The weavers are re-settled in their homes and are becoming richer, with access to money, education and a better lifestyle!”

At Satya Paul's Think Pink "Savera" charity show, Dino Morea, Aishwarya Rai and Ajay Devgan show off a unique collection. Prediction: Pink and polka dots are back!

You name them, and the stars were there – not only seeing models sashaying on the catwalk, but walking the ramp themselves and showcasing the newest collection of Satya Paul! Aishwarya Rai specially took time off her international schedule to wear the theme saree from the collection – a polka-dotted, zari-touched red saree, worn with a sexy halter-neck choli of the same colour! Malaika Arora Khan showed off a multi-crore rupee diamond waist belt worn with a saree and wonder of wonders, Ajay Devgan and Kajol, the reticent couple of Bollywood, also strutted on the ramp showing off Satya Paul ensembles. Everyone who is anyone in the fashion industry was there to cheer the organizers who held the event in aid of breast cancer research at the Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai.

“Black is the colour of mysterious nights, of the landscape melting into nothingness after sundown, of the unknown,” says Pria Kataria Puri, whose collection this year centres around the colour black, “Black is seductive, mysterious and awakens passions without being inelegant. Black is a popular colour in the West and in India because it lends itself to wonderful embroidery, embellishments or accessories. This year, my collection is somewhat ethnic, somewhat fusion. I have embroidered elegant ‘black diva’ ensembles which hark back to the 60s look. Small buns of hair, bandanas worn with high-placed hairstyles, use of glittering brooches, a mix of class and crass – these add a touch of glamour to my collection this year. I find black an eternally young and sensuous colour. I have proved this in my clothes by presenting black by itself or by teaming it with red!”

No one can agree more with Pria than actress Kareena Kapoor, a strong protagonist of black herself. “Black is very sensual,” she says, “I may sound clichéd but I find black spectacular! A black saree worn with no jewellery, nude skin and a touch of kohl in the eyes make a woman look her sexiest best!”

Animal prints are a hit! Vikram Phadnis shows how to use them. Model: Amrita Arora.

“Indian fashion has been hot on world catwalks,” says Narendra Ahmed, one of two designers chosen to show their collection in the Design Biennale in Paris in November 2004. The other designer is Rohit Bal, whose saree drapes have created a storm in the fashion world. “Westerners are intrigued with the hundred ways in which ‘the most glamorous unstitched garment in the world’ can be draped to make a woman look fabulous,” say the designers.