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Manish Malhotra brings the curtains down on LFW in style with a dash of Bollywood thrown in for good measure

THREE GIANT WOODEN frames hung from the ceiling edged with hundreds of bulbs, a long glass ramp gleamed under the lights, the stage framed in ornate silver with long sheer curtains and a strong Bollywood presence - designer Manish Malhotra left no stone unturned to end the Lakme Fashion Week 2011 with glitz, glamour and glitterati.

The grand finale show, which was inspired by Lakme’s new Absolute make-up line, displayed garments that were glamorous and sophisticated, with a soul that was Indian.

It saw an impressive line-up of stars gracing the first row, including Deepika Padukone, Imran Khan, Karan Johar, Karisma Kapoor, Amrita Arora, Shabana Azmi and Katrina Kaif.

Kareena Kapoor was the showstopper for the show, and sashayed down the ramp in a white layered lace, silk, net gown with a shimmer.

“I loved walking the ramp because I’m wearing an amazing outfit and the show is Manish’s, who is like family to me. So I was more than happy and confident. Manish is one of the best designers that we have. He has an amazing understanding of style. His sense of colour is so brilliant. He is truly a great talent,” Kareena told reporters.

Manish too was more than happy to express his excitement at having Kareena as his showstopper for the grand finale collection.

“Kareena is like a younger sister to me, so it was great having her as the showstopper for this show. Although she is an actor and has no experience of modelling, she walks the ramp like an expert. She is a timeless beauty, ethereal, modern and classic,” he said.

Karan, Imran and Katrina too stepped onto the ramp at the end of the show for a brief jig with the designer, the showstopper and the models.
 “It was a fantastic show and I danced in the end because this show is very special to me. My best friend was showcasing his collection and my sister was walking the ramp, so I was very happy,” Karisma said.

As far as the collection was concerned, the line showcased Indian and Western creations comprising swirling panelled lehengas, cholis, saris and gowns. Silver and resham embroidery covered the ensembles.
 Fabrics like lace, chiffon, silk, net, velvet in primary shades of white and candy floss pink were teamed with black, wine, gold, pale grey, metallics and cherry red for the line.