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Student stylecheck
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Twenty-one colleges from around the city grabbed the chance to showcase their style quotient
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Photo: Murali Kumar K.
LIKE A SWAN The catwalk is all about body language. It's about being natural and letting your personality show.
It was but natural that the host got the biggest cheer and a certain women's college from Vasanthnagar got the second biggest. The occasion was the preliminary round of the Westside Lux Body Wash Style Showdown, a competitive fashion show that featured 21 colleges from around the city.
The event was held at the Baldwin Methodist Boys College, and no wonder, the opposite sex grabbed all the attention. Girls from all the participating colleges were wildly cheered and the cheers often drowned the girls' voices when they introduced themselves after the catwalk.
From the start, one had to accept that this show was an amateur event and it was wise not to use a fine-tooth comb to review it. The judges — Priya Naik, model, and Shilpa Choudhary, fashion designer, choreographer and stylist — were also of the same opinion as they went about rating the shows by the colleges.
Two categories
As the show progressed, it was clear that the teams were of two categories — ones sporting daily wear and those sporting themes. Some of the teams had choreographers assisting them while others preferred to do it on their own. The standout college in the theme wear category was Aruna Institute of Fashion Design which chose ancient Egypt for inspiration. Its routine started with two soldiers rolling out a stunning priest from a carpet (we all know that's how Cleopatra smuggled herself into Julius Caesar's august presence) and ended with a mock coronation ceremony.
The home team Baldwin Methodist Boys College chose denim as their theme and they walked the ramp showing off some unreal biceps and bizarre denim outfits. They chose a heavy metal number by Rammstein, a German band, for their background score. Though their college mates cheered them wildly, one was left a bit disappointed with their act.
Another college to impress was Sheshadripuram College. Though their theme was nothing much to talk about, their choreography and body language was impressive. One girl, Subhashini, left the crowd wanting more with her catwalk. Her natural gait and mischievous smile won her many followers. (The show also brought back a few memories of my college days when one of the teams chose Glamorous Cat as a theme. The routine had models in leather and cat outfits carrying whips. And naturally, all the wolves in the crowd went "meow".)
The catwalk is all about body language. It's about being natural and letting your personality show. But sadly, this wasn't the case with some of the participants. Some tried a bit too hard while others were simply not up to it. Some of the girls tried things they were clearly not comfortable with, especially physical contact with the boys on the ramp. Some of the boys, instead of having a natural expression, were often scowling at the crowd.
The participating teams were judged based on several parameters choreography, music, hair, makeup, style, theme, style quotient, models and attitude.
To be natural
"We are basically looking at how authentically they are presenting the theme. But we have to keep in mind that they are amateurs. Though some of the teams are really good, most of them want to be something that they are not. They have to realise that they have to be natural and believe in what they are doing. Some the boys in particular had a real angry look that is definitely not macho. But overall it is a good show," said Shilpa Choudhary.
Priya Naik felt that college shows in Bangalore were the best in the country after Mumbai because the students here are more fashion conscious.
Finally it was time to announce the winners. The crowd was surprised the host team won and they were followed by Sheshadripuram College, Mount Carmel College, Vogue Institute of Fashion Technology, Aruna Institute of Fashion Design, Wigan and Leigh College, Garden City College of Fashion, and S.R.N. Adarsh College. These colleges will now slug it out in the finals to be held on September 9. The other teams received Westside and Lux gift hampers.
ANAND SANKAR
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