The pull of fashion is such that I went back to Ensemble today, just to check out the freshly stocked racks of clothing and seeing how fabulous the fashion really was. It was, it was!
Sabyasachi Mukherjee was there in full glory though I have to say the collection was a little geared to winter and it was way too steep! Beautiful but steep. The PFDC Sunsilk Fashion Week collection was in from Kamiar Rokni and it was thrilling to see some diluted and less pricey versions from the same. Loved the range of crumpled khaki kurtas by HSY. Slate by Faiza Samee (designed by Faiza’s daughter Rabia Ghaznavi) was a complete sell out; with those bright summer prints how could it not be?
Ritu Kumar had been restocked with some very affordable funky tops and Fab East, a version of Fab India, offered smart, practical clothing. And all that doesn’t even cover the ground floor. I didn’t have time to step up (another visit is a must) to the first floor which I believe does stock Sana Safinaz, Nomi Ansari and Nida Azwer amongst others. There are around two dozen labels stocking at the bigger Ensemble premises now (turn right into the lane after Cafe Flo if you’re coming from the mazaar on 26th street) and it is a go-go place for anyone looking for quick fashion solutions.
The show, lest we forget, did have the wow factor. It wasn’t flawless in that the space was cramped and no one had clear vision of what was happening in the active window displays, not even the press who had to report on it. Plus, I jogged my memory and realized that it wasn’t just Nabila’s hair show 11 years ago but also a Topshop opening that it reminded one of. Kate Moss, when launching her debut collection for Topshop, had stood amongst the actual mannequins in the display window of the shop. Ensemble windows were not stationary but they were a lovely throw back to Topshop nevertheless. The inspiration has to come from somewhere but its always worth it when executed well. This one was well worth it!
