Manish Malhotra enchants Dubai with royal designs

Whether it is London, Mumbai or Delhi a Manish Malhotra fashion show is going to be a night of glamour. Manish celebrates 25 years in fashion this year, and has announced plans to open a flagship store in London and Dubai. Manish is best known for being Bollywood's favourite designer whether it's on the reel or the red carpet. But of late Manish has gained fashion's favour; as his designs have matured and he has proved that he also understand the nuances of high fashion.

Photos by Neeraj Murali/ Khaleej Times
He showed a combination of two collections on Friday night in Dubai at the Address Hotel in the Marina, his couture "The Empress Story" and his fall festive line "The Gentleman's Club". And a modern day Habsburg Empress would have been very content with the collection Manish showed.
The European princess met the Bollywood red carpet glamour thanks to full skirts, plunging necklines, Kashmiri embroidery with zari (gold metal) embellishments. Floral motifs have always been a firm favourite with the designer, and remained strong for this collection. For men, Manish showed he had a real flair for all things sartorial, from Nehru jackets to thin lapelled slim fit suits and sherwanis. Manish's tailoring was about dapper retro chic.
Read: Dubai key pit stop as Manish Malhotra goes international

Walking the ramp for was actor Arjun Kapoor, as no Manish catwalk show is complete without Bollywood. And it was while Arjun took the bow you realized what was that missing element at Manish show. It was the audience; somehow the show did not have the serge of energy you can expect from a Manish show, as the Dubai's fashionable set did not exude excitement or energy.  They were far more restrained than their Delhi and Mumbai counterparts. 
 
Though the show was appreciated by most there, somehow that buzz factor you associate from a Manish show was missing. Which was a little disappointing, as it was a beautifully produced show, highlighting two of Manish's strongest collections to date. Both collections are available at Dubai's Studio 8. Sarah Belhasa's multi brand store has been working closely with Manish for several years now