Bollywood stars take attention away from clothes: Varun Bahl

Mumbai, Oct 15 (IANS) He didn't have any Bollywood star walking the ramp for him. Still, designer Varun Bahl managed a jam-packed show at the ongoing HDIL India Couture Week here.

'I will never have any Bollywood celebrity walking the ramp for me. They take audiences attention away from your clothes. I would like my work to speak for me,' Bahl told IANS after the show here late Wednesday night.

The audience was not disappointed. 'The clothes were fabulous. That is something you call real couture,' said actress Neha Dhupia, who was there to support her friend.

Bahl's collection was inspired by Japanese designs and he did a fabulous job by adding Indian sensibilities to his creations -- he teamed up lehengas with kimonos, saris with a kimono blouse and made other Indo-Japanese combinations.

'The collection is a blend of Indo-Japanese influences. It is all about Indian bridal wears meeting Japanese traditional clothes,' he said.

The set too reflected the theme as it had a bamboo rooftop in the background giving it a different feel.

Another highlight of the collection was interesting headgears made of bamboo sticks, peacock feathers, Japanese fan and Japanese flowers put differently.

Bahl's creations were in vibrant jewel tones like fuchsia, ivory, gold, indigo and burgundy in free flowing fabrics as well as in velvet.