Sabyasachi Mukherjee: A Design Showcase" presented by The Hindu-- II - [ Red Pix ]

Sabyasachi Mukherjee: A Design Showcase" presented by The Hindu-- I - [ Red Pix ] "Fashion is 95 per cent hard work and five per cent glamour," says a composed Sabyasachi Mukherjee as he readies for his show at the imperial, scorpion-shaped Taj Falaknuma Palace in Hyderabad. As models sashay in and out of the famed dining hall with the world's longest dining table (108 ft), the designer checks out every detail — from lighting and sound to camera angles and anchor's speech. It's the second rehearsal, and in minutes, the guests will arrive. The designer is unfazed. "Give a gap of three seconds before Bombay Jayashri starts," he suggests to his dynamic choreographer Anu Ahuja. As I remain seated on one of the 100 ornate wooden chairs imagining if that was the one which the Nizam's royal guests — probably Tsar Nicholas II or King George V — had occupied during their sojourn in India, Sabyasachi chips in, "It took me three months to conceive of this line. But all this effort will dissolve in five minutes. People come, watch shows and leave. All the hard work is easily forgotten." Soon, it's show time. The guests are seated, and gradually the spotlight glows on Bombay Jayashri and her team of musicians. Powerful alaaps follow and the towering models walk around the table that's tastefully decked with resplendent roses, candles and exquisite crockery. As lights dim and glow in a range of hues from bright sunrise to deep crimson enhancing the beauty of the gilded reliefs and fresco ceiling, Sabyasachi's Opium line leaves an indelible mark on the cognoscenti of Hyderabad. "Sheer magic!" they exclaim in unison. On September 26, the action shifts to Chennai. The grand ballroom of the Leela Palace is packed with fashion aficionados. The three-dozen models are back on the ramp displaying the same line. Coming from a designer who believes in raising the bar with every collection and show, Opium, inspired by the 1920s, is all about cut, craft, fit, fabric, drape and drama. It shows how a deft hand can conceal painstaking skills with effortless grace. From the complicated aari tari that he wishes to revive to thetilla work of Kashmir, the designer uses a bouquet of beautiful crafts to add zing to Opium. Old-fashioned crewel embroidery, appliqué, zardosi and tara work (a cartload of hand-cut gold, silver and copper sequins!) have been used to give the line its regal edge.