Blenders Pride Magical Nights dazzled Pune this Friday November 18^th at the Poona Club. Spectacular designs by John and Hetu Fernandez and Shivan-Narresh were the highlight of this night featuring chic fashion and style.

I am pretty much a novice when it comes to fashion, but I immensely enjoyed the evening. Style can have multiple facets and this versatile aspect of style was portrayed in a beautiful manner through the show.

The first segment presented a bridal collection by designers John & Hetu Fernandez. The collection featured several bold outfits, especially many different kinds of blouses or cholis. Intricate work on pastel backgrounds presented a very elegant look. My favorite was the off shoulder gold choli made for the bold contemporary bride.

Balalika, a five piece band enthralled the audience with their music. After a couple of contemporary numbers, they launched into a parody of retro songs like ‘Kabhi Kabhi’ and “Kya Hua Tera Vaada’ from the 70s-80s which had the audiences clapping and singing along. Vocals were impressive and so was the guitar.

Designers Shivan and Narresh presented modern bridal wear. This collection seemed to focus on the entire wedding trousseau rather than just the wedding outfit. Swimwear and resort wear was also presented as part of the collection. The show ended with Zareen Khan as the show stopper. Khan elaborated on her style statement – “Style for me is being able to evolve at each step in life. My style statement is influenced by the variety of roles I have played, the unique characters and their stories have inspired me to challenge and re-invent myself. I am thrilled to be a part of Blenders Pride Magical Nights, as it is all about celebrating style.”

Pune is rarely seen as a venue for these type of events. I hope that Blenders Pride Magical Nights will pave the way for many more brands and designers to come grace us Punekars with their eclectic repertoire.

I appreciated that both the collections presented were modern and futuristic, attempting to match the current preferences of the clientele. The entire evening was certainly a grand celebration of contemporary style.