IndiaPost.com - South Asian fashion showcased

NEW JERSEY: It was a weekend of fashion, style and shopping as Bibi Magazine and Sahara One TV presented the first ever South Asian fashion and jewelry shopping showcase at a mainstream mall. The Woodbridge Center Mall in NJ was the venue for StylEast, a two-city fashion tour held first in Houston, TX and then in New Jersey.

With designers coming from all over the country and from India, StylEast served as a platform for up and coming South Asian Designers. Alexander Mummolo, Group Business Development Representative for Woodbridge Center Mall said, "We are excited to host Bibi Magazine's first show event of the year.

It will be a wonderful event for Woodbridge Center and the surrounding community." Publisher of Bibi Magazine.com, Ayesha Hakki added, "Bibi is proud to be showcasing these exciting designers whose clients range from Bollywood celebrities to socialites and diplomats. StylEast is the signature event for the South Asian-American fashion industry.

We are holding it at a mainstream mall so as to bring these exciting collections and our exotic culture to the mainstream." The Mall fashion show was introduced by former NJ Ratepayer Advocate and President of the Asian Indian Chamber of Commerce, Seema Singh. Seema remarked during her speech, "It's wonderful to see our culture being displayed in such a prominent setting."

After the show, former United Nations Good Will Ambassador for CISRI (Collaborative Inter-Governmental Scientific Research Institute) and social entrepreneur, Meera Gandhi, introduced the designers adding, "Indian fashion has truly come of age, and it's very exciting to see young Indian designers showcase their fashion in a mainstream setting such as the Woodbridge Mall… thanks to Bibi Magazine."

Of the designers presenting in NJ were Bollywood fashion designer Dinesh Ramsay, fashion's Chhabra family's protégé Shelley Chhabra, menswear by Premji Amba and jewelry designer Sapna Grover. The Houston designers included Prashe Fusion, Chandana Gosh, Sona Boutique's collection of designer wear and AV Gold n Diamond Exchange.

The prevalent theme of the fashions shown was fusion with Dinesh Ramsay' saris draped with pants, Prashe's chiffon wrap dress and Shelley Chhabra's red silk sheath embroidered with zari. The jewelry was a collection of antique polki diamonds in Victorian settings by Sapna Grover and necklaces dripping with diamonds by AV Goldn Diamond Exchange.

The fashion weekend began Friday night with a fashion designer reception hosted by Meera Gandhi at the Paramount Hotel in NYC, with informal modeling of the collections, and photo exhibition by journalist Derek Henry Flood.

The NJ StylEast Mall show was held Saturday and Sunday. Along with the fashion shows, the event spotlighted young dancers and singers with performances being held throughout the day on the ethnically decorated stage. This is the third time that Bibi Magazine has presented StylEast.