Lakme Fashion Week: A narrow miss

Tiger Shroff may have saved Disha Patani from a major wardrobe malfunction at the Lakme Fashion Week finale, but the moment has opened up the debate about mirrored ramps.

Disha Patani recently avoided a major wardrobe disaster at the Lakme Fashion Week’s grand finale. The stage was set for Manish Malhotra’s larger-than-life fashion show and to enhance the sense of glitz and glamour, mirrors hung from the ceiling — and paved the floor. And there was the problem. Disha, who was looking every bit a glamorous diva, was in a short dress. So, when the photographers asked her to come forward and pose with Tiger Shroff for a couple of shots on the ramp, there could have been a major oops moment for the actress.

However, before disaster could befall, the actress was swiftly ushered off the stage and led to her seat, much to the consternation of the photographers and the embarrassment of the actress herself. Though the fashion faux pas was avoided, the careless designing of the stage didn’t go unnoticed and a video of the entire incident has been doing the rounds on social media.

A source from the event said, “Disha was wearing a really short dress, so it may have been problematic if she had come right in front of the photographers, since the entire floor of the ramp was reflecting everything. But before she could step up, Tiger told her not to come forward and one of the volunteers quickly whisked her off to her seat from the side carpet area. Later, when Dia Mirza and Sridevi came, they also avoided the ramp since they were in short dresses. However, Karisma Kapoor and Malaika Arora posed on the ramp despite their above-the-knee outfits. Since they were in bodycon dresses though, nothing could be seen.”

Show director and fashion choreographer Utsav Dholakia expressed his surprise at the fact that Manish Malhotra could be so careless as to use a mirrored ramp for his show, when many of the outfits that his models showcased were short. “A mirrored stage is a very risky set-up anyway. So, we use a stage like that only for ethnic outfits with long cuts and flowy lines. While Manish couldn’t have been responsible for any wardrobe malfunction on Disha’s part, his own models sported short dresses and could have had a bad moment on stage if people had been focused on the stage instead of the dresses,” he said.

Disha Patani

“Manish is usually a very meticulous designer and looks at every single aspect of his show minutely. He’s a perfectionist, so it’s very unlike him to make a mistake like this. His show director should also have warned him of this beforehand,” he added.

Fashion choreographer Lubna Adams who choreographed for Gaurang Shah during one of the earlier shows in the Fashion Week, however, didn’t see a problem with the stage or the show. “Quite honestly, mirrored ramps are a practice/trend in international fashion weeks also. Their sole purpose is to accentuate the spark, the concept, and the glamour of the said show. And is used by several fashion designers and choreographers not just in India, but also big fashion weeks abroad. What I don’t understand is why this is an issue right now. Look, when one is a fashion fanatic, they are at the fashion week to see the beauty of the show, not potential malfunctions — they are more concerned with the concept of the show, the bling, the model, the walk, all these things. Tell me, why will someone look down to see the reflection of the model on the mirrored ramp and not the show itself,” she challenges.

Utsav also believes that Disha should have been a bit more vigilant about the dress herself. “Disha should also have been more careful though. It’s only common sense not to step on to a mirrored ramp like that,” he added.

When contacted, Lakme organisers refused a quote, stating that they are responsible only for the fashion side of the event and would like to keep the focus on fashion rather than the celebrities.