Oct. 27--NEW DELHI -- Why allow a movie star to take the focus away from the collection?" is a pertinent question being asked by top fashion designers even as the ongoing fashion week in Delhi continues to boast of a high 'Bollywood quotient'.

Top designers such as Manish Arora, Rajesh Pratap Singh and Ashish Soni, who have never got filmstars walk the ramp unless it's a sponsored show, have come down heavily on those piggybacking on star power.

Arora, who's dressed up international stars such as Lady Ga-Ga, MIA and Kate Perry says, "In a fashion show, the garments are the stars. Why should I put a filmstar to distract attention from the stars I created?" Pratap concurs, "Models are cloth-horses and they are models because their bodies carry an outfit perfectly. The idea is to show garments and not pretty faces, so a movie star doesn't fit in." Soni says, "You present a story on the ramp... why would one dilute it by using a filmstar?"

However, there is the other school that says getting filmstars is a sure shot way of getting the much needed media coverage. Designer Leena Singh of Ashima-Leena duo, who got Kapil Dev and Jaya Prada for their show on Saturday argues, "Media loves celebrities on the ramp and that helps in popularizing our brand." She is quick to add that they never pay celebrities who willingly oblige only because of their relationship.

The argument, however, is slammed by those who term it a 'lack of confidence'. Designer Namrata Joshipura says, "If one is not confident of his/her collection then they go for a film star. Have you ever seen a movie star walk the ramp in New York, Milan or Paris? At most they grace the front-row." Omar Haider of Show House who organize the Grand Finale show said, "Our designers are stars themselves -- why get a filmstar?"

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Copyright (c) 2009, Hindustan Times, New Delhi

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