The idea was to provoke you a bit

The idea was to provoke you a bit

By Deepak Parvatiyar

(This report was published in The Free Press Journal on 6th May 1994)

Bombay:  The fashion show was outrageous; and the mannequins, delicate. Pierre Cardin, designer par excellence, was hellbent on turning Bombay into another Paris. The audience held their breath and the mandarins gasped, as a whole range of exotic designs on bouncy sirens bewitched their fantasies.

As Madhu Sapre, Aishwarya Rai and others ramped to reveal, Anjali Mendes, Director of Pierre Cardin Fashion Private Limited, smiled: "The idea is to provoke you a bit."

Thus thought the models too. "I enjoyed it a lot,"Mark Robinson of Kamasutra fame was overheard telling a friend. And the setting at the spacious Regal Room of Hotel Oberoi provided the required elixir to the fun-loving elite of the megapolis.

The conservatives, as always, grumbled over this yet another foreign invasion on our socio-cultural fabric. "Yes, this is outrageous," admitted Mendes, and added: "We will change the fabric." What she meant was that the materials used in these dresses would be changed so that the designs could be adapted to Indian conditions.

But what about India adapting to Cardin? Yes it has, and the sale of his designs proves it. While in Bombay the Cardin showroom is netting Rs.75,000 per day, the first day sale in New Delhi fetched Cardin Rs. 1.5 lakh. By the year end, Cardin plans to open a dozen more retail outlets in different parts of the country where he could sell shirts for a minimum Rs. 375, and ladies' wares for Rs.600-2000.

Just before Bombay, Cardin's show in New Delhi was divided into two halves -- Indian fabrics and the exotic designs.

But in Bombay's glimmer, Cardin had unveiled his "international line"for forthcoming seasons.The aim was to provoke, as Mendes said, and to evoke varied reactions in this glamour capital of the country. Thus, the judges were not the editors of fashion magazines, as is usual in international shows. And on the chairs in front of the ramp, usually occupied by these judges, sat, among others, Suresh Kalmadi, Member of Parliament, K. Padmanabhaiah, Chairman, Air India, and Parvez Damania of the Damania Airlines. 

And the front row was reserved for the 'CM's Party'.