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A taste of culture
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It was a "Night of Fashion" at Casa Piccola
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PHOTO: K.V. SRINIVASAN
CHIC AND SOBER One of the outfits at the show
Gaslight Café (Greenwich Village, Manhattan) presented Bob Dylan's songs in 1960s and Starbucks (outlets across U.S.A and Canada), in the 2000s. The first was promoting new talent and, the second, adding to the ambience. Restaurants in Chennai have started giving space to artistes. Hopefully, at least, some will pursue talent.
"There are many restaurants in the city that serve good food, so to stand out, we serve culture too," said Sam Paul, managing director, Casa Piccola at the "The Night of Fashion" that showcased "Rouge", a collection of dresses designed by Neha Khemka, and jewellery and bags designed by her mother Veena Khemka. "We will try to promote European culture and give young, talented and innovative artistes space," he said. They plan to host two such events every month and the fashion night was a start. Right now, they have no structured way of selecting artistes and have chosen from a known few.
Rooftop shows
The shows will be conducted at the rooftop of the restaurant and entry is strictly by invitation. Neha, a 23-year-old fashion designer, has a stall in Chennai City Centre and supplies to Fashion Folks and Moksha in Besant Nagar. For Neha, the occasion, her first show, was to communicate to her customers, different ways of matching her clothes, jewellery and bags and to showcase some of her new creations.
Though the restaurant aims to promote innovative styles, the designs at the show lacked in adventure. The off-shouldered tops, shirts with pleats and gauchos were playful. The dresses are wearable, without being staid. "I tried to play safe because the youngsters in the city like trendy but not filmi and vulgar clothes," she said. And her dresses don't lack in style. "Comfort and practicality are the catchwords," she said. She designs womenswear and at the show displayed clothes in four styles — casual, Indo-western, beachwear and club wear. Cotton, crepe and chiffon were used for the casuals; mull, silk and linen for the Indo-Western line; satin, patchwork, crepe and chiffon for beachwear and chiffon and satin, net, velvet and silk for club wear. The Rouge's collection is priced from Rs. 450 to Rs. 1,200 and the jewellery, from Rs. 65 to Rs. 2,000.
ASHA MENON
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