Double delight
The French National Day reception, hosted by the Consulate General of France in Mumbai, commemorating the Storming of the Bastille on July 14, 1789, turned out to be a double delight as it also marked the sesquicentennial (150 years) of its installation in Mumbai. A wall of history at the Taj depicted ancient documents and pictures. French consul general Yves Perrin praised the Indo-French relations and urged the Indian guests to explore France as investors, entrepreneurs, businessmen and as individuals. Guest of honour Sumit Mullick, Maharashtra additional chief secretary and chief protocol officer, made thoughtful comments in his courtesy speech on the French Revolution. After the speeches it was time for a gastronomic feast and, of course, the bars were abuzz with Mumm’s and Moet & Chandon champagne and more.
Regional richness
Festive flavour was in the air as Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai joined hands with the North East Festival for a second year in a row, to create national awareness about a region rich in culture, tradition and a populace of vibrant individuals. Colours of North East – that’s what they called it, with live music by North East Indian artists like the Grammy award nominee The Monks of Bomdila, The Abiogenisis, Sunita Khound and Anaya Brahma. Showcasing ethnic fashion was Meghalaya’s leading designer Daniel Syiem, while Kankana Konwar exhibited Assam couture and Vaishali S showcased contemporary and traditional wear through her collection.
Glimpse of grandeur
You got a glimpse of things to come as Palladium Hotel makes way for St Regis if you happened to be at the curtain-raiser of the prestigious Lakmé Fashion Week. Looking upbeat was Dhananjay Saliankar, regional director – Starwood Sales Organisation South Asia. Unveiled at the meet at the ballroom of Palladium Hotel was a stellar line-up of 100 participating designers and 13 sponsors for the Winter/Festive 2015 season. You learnt of the Lakmé Absolute Lip Pout, definitive beauty statement for Winter/ Festive 2015 which would be brought alive at the grand finale with internationally acclaimed designer Gaurav Gupta and Daniel Bauer, Lakmé makeup expert. You also learnt of the Gen Next that would open the five-say week. And making their presence felt on the red carpet were various designers along with their muses.
Square and flair
Super deals from food-and-beverage outlets awaited you at Phoenix Marketcity in Kurla. Of course, it was one big shopping spree, too, with an amazing flat 50 per cent off on over 600 brands over two days. Day one also saw the Runway Night at the mall’s courtyard dubbed Dublin Square, co-hosted by Shamita Singha, Anchal Kumar and Vahbiz Mehta, with pop-ups of designer labels at a steal. Live music performances added to the action. Seen in the festive Dublin Square were Parvathy Omanakuttan, Candice Pinto, Aditi and Arzoo Govitrikar, Kavita Kharayat, Amruta Patki, Shibani Kashyap, Riddhi and Siddhi Mapxencar, Anjhula Mya Bais, Sandhya Shetty and Svetlana Casper among many others. After that the party continued at Asia Bar with cocktails and Asian appetisers.
