One Stop Shops

What started as a lean affair is now a plump show. The invites in your e-mail inbox or the letterbox at home will tell you that exhibitions happen a lot now in the city than they ever did before. And what’s more, it’s no longer restricted to a solo show of a homegrown designer calling you over home for a dekko. Instead she’s hopped on to a bigger bandwagon that gets together a motley of designers and hosts them at one place. The rules of the game have also changed. For one, exhibitions are no longer called exhibitions. “They are now collective ‘shows’ that are put together keeping in mind themes,” tells Manmeet Singh, director of Show Bizz India that’s rolled out several such exhibitions in the city over the last two years. “We time it with a change of season. The focus, of course, are the ladies who look forward to such one stop buys in a bazaar-like ambience,” adds Singh who organised a jewellery exhibition ‘Gahan Kala’ sometime back and currently has ‘Summer Fashion Kaliedoscope’ on the floor running at Hotel Shivalik View.

Interestingly, these shows that revolve around lifestyle themes mostly are a great way to update yourself on latest trends. “It gives both the exhibitor as well as the shopper an idea of the local tastes, preferences and also a competitive edge,” tells designer Rakhi Barodia who has brought her label called ‘Diya’s’ once before. “That was a solo show and this time I am part of a bigger spread. What’s better in a collective show is fact that since the publicity is more, a larger section of society gets to see your work,” tells the pretty lady. Ditto for city-based designer Poonam Sood who has been a regular at city exhibitions as well as collective shows in the region. “It’s a good way to make new clientele as well,” says the designer.

Interestingly, the organisers are quick to step out of the ordinary. At the recent show titled ‘Woman-08’ that brought in as many as 45 exhibitors from different parts of the country, there were added highlights of a tarot reader and a mehendi artist as well. “The trend of bazaar shopping in style is there in the metros and even globally. Our emphasis has been to provide such an experience to shoppers closer home. The idea is also to offer something for everyone,” mentioned Maninder Singh Sethi, managing director of Excelsior PR that regularly puts up shows in the city and the region.

While most of these fashion and lifestyle shows happen under one big air-conditioned roof where you get to rub shoulders (literally) while you shop, it’s a different story at the Vanity Fair. A much looked forward to event on the city’s annual roster, especially when it comes to shopping and splurging on a weekend, the Vanity Fair, hosted by the Jagats at their sprawling Whispering Willows country resort in Zirakpur is getting bigger each year. “This time we brought in 112 exhibitors from all over,” tells Priya Jagat, the brain behind the annual beer-meets-barbeque affair. From home accessories to furniture, linen to pottery, jewellery to clothes, trinkets to charms…there’s always a potpourri of the best picks and good food to go alongside.