François Desroches launches his new collection of kaftans, supplemented by Guerlain’s autumn make-up colours
Muscat has manifold attractions, but a city of high fashion it is not. And so it was inevitable that news of a fashion show, to launch a collection of kaftans by François Desroches and the autumn make-up colours by Guerlain Paris, would cause something of a stir. The show, which took place at Al Nahda Resort and Spa, was as colourful and vibrant as Desroches himself. Five models sashayed down the runway in kaftans in a dizzying rainbow of colours. A sheer, apple-green kaftan shot through with pink and turquoise was followed by a powder-pink, black-spotted example with a bib of black lace, and another in a leopard print with lime-coloured flowers.
There were maroon, crimson, hot pink, orange and sunshine-yellow kaftans; and kaftans with sequins, ruches, fringes of beads and panels of embroidery. In true catwalk fashion the show even concluded with a bride, her twinkling green veil held in place by white roses. Each model was made up with the new Guerlain colours, which included eyeshadows in shades of brown, grey, amber and blue.
Each unique garment then went on sale, with 15 per cent of the profits going to charity. Prior to the show Desroches revealed that fashion design is just a hobby – since 1989 he has been PR director and training director of Guerlain in the Middle East, which covers 12 countries. He also presents a weekly television programme in Arabic for Heya TV, which focuses on make-up.
Desroches makes half his kaftans himself. “Often I wake up at 3am and start stitching.” His tailors finish the rest.
He admits to be ‘extremely finicky’ about finish, and insists that the clothes must be easy to care for as well as affordable. Above all, the flowing, often voluminous designs of the kaftans are intended to flatter all figures. “And they can be worn anywhere, whether you are in your boudoir or getting out of the waves like Venus.”
Musical interlude
At the Generation Next, a fund-raising show, Manav Gupta’s brush strokes moved to the tune of Indian classical music
Performance by Rahul Sharma, Rakesh Chaurasia and Vijay Ghate, Indian classical musicians, at Generation Next, which was billed as an ‘evening where colour blends with music’, lived up to the hype. Together they created dazzling musical sequences that were by turn animated and lyrical. Working alongside them on a large canvas was artist Manav Gupta, whose brush moved in time to the beat like a conductor’s baton.
Indian classical music is an oral tradition that is passed on from guru to pupil by word of mouth and through demonstration, and although a framework exists, compositions are elaborated through improvisation. Rahul plays the santoor, a folk instrument from Kashmir, which his father and guru, Pandit Shivkumar Sharma, introduced to classical music. All three musicians avow that their gurus are their inspirations. Rakesh, a flautist, was taught by his uncle, revered maestro Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia; and Vijay, who began playing the tabla when he was just three years old, is the protégé of Pandit Suresh Talwalkar.
The concert at the Grand Hyatt on August 9 was divided into three parts. Rahul and Rakesh both played individually, accompanied by Vijay, and then the trio came together to play folk music for the final ensemble. The interaction between performers, the way in which the dynamic of the music suddenly changed as they exchanged glances and one instrument became more dominant than another, was fascinating to watch.
Manav’s painting aimed to capture the ambience of the music on canvas. There was something mesmerising about watching the artist layering clotted cream-coloured pigment over blue, and working purple into shades of coral and tangerine, while the musicians
performed nearby. By the end, the picture resembled a seascape, the sky flecked with birds that Manav explained symbolised hope and the union between Oman and India.
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