New Delhi, July 31 -- Designer Manish Malhotra ensured his return to India couture week after five years was a night to remember. His Couture Cocktail Evening on 26 July had all the ingredients of a memorable fashion party-flashy guests, a 10ft-tall eagle made of mirrors, video excerpts from Malhotra's past shows projected on the walls, a live DJ, a grazing table, and a 20-minute runway show closed by Brazilian supermodel Alessandra Ambrosio.

In a room across the hall, Malhotra had an interesting exhibit-mannequins displaying 10 of his designs from the last three decades, including the ensemble Rekha wore for a Vogue Arabia cover two years ago, the Parsi gara gown Natasha Poonawalla wore to the 2025 Met Gala, and Kajol's green lehenga fr...