The ramp was set ablaze by the students of eight colleges of Bangalore at the MTV Style Showdown hosted by a city college recently. TV style showdown is all about energy, enthusiasm, fervour and zing. One of the biggest events of the year consisted of nearly 300 colleges cutting across 9 cities. The evening was sponsored by Westside and

BharatStudent.com. Westside backed up with its collections for men, women and kids. Westside brand also deals with Footwear, Cosmetics, Perfumes and Handbags, household Accessories, lingerie and gifts displaying a fine balance between style and price retailing, informed the MC for the evening Natasha.

The judges were none other than the famous MTV VJs Cyrus Sahukar and Mia and ace model Anupama Verma. Cyrus Sahukar, generally appears on comical and satirical programmes like MTV Bakra, Piddhu the Great and Semi Girebal. He is known for his sharp and witty comments. Presently, he hosts a spoof of the talk show, 'Rendezvous with Simi Garewal'. Vivacious, stunningly beautiful and talented, defines Mia. She has recently unveiled herself on MTV's Saturday Shuffle, One of the hottest VJ on screen. Anupama Verma, the bollywood beauty who is famous for her fragile looks and thin figure. A model by profession, is now concentrating in movies.

Coming back to the stage, lighting was full of contrasting hues, soothing for eyes even in the wonderful open-air ramp. Thanks to event management group Zing. It was a great stage for all budding designer to showcase their talent and skills in fashion and Choreography, and MTV has sure made it one of the most happening events in the field.

The final round of the MTV style showdown comprised GCC and other colleges in the city. The theme for the show was mix 'n' match and dresses from Westside's upcoming collection, consisting of winter, party as well as casual wears. Participants made best use of their talents in mixing the spice of music, fashion; modelling and choreography to Showcase the smart and chic clothing from Westside.

GCC came up with the casual wear collection. The effective use of props and contrasting hues made an ever-lasting impression on the spectators. A mix of modern wears with the background of pure Indian ethnicity was fabulous. From stoles to dhoti, the perfect blend of western and Indian culture. They made us realised that our Indian attire looks as great as their western counter part, even today.

The judges evaluated the colleges on their overall presentation, which included style quotient, choreography, and choice of music, hair and makeup.The evening concluded with not only fashion shows but also games that included not the contestants but the crowd and off course remunerations were something to go by, trendy caps and T-shirts by Westside where as Mr Dude and Miss Diva, won a whopping 25,000 each from Bharatstudent.com. Westside also gave an opportunity to two students selected by the jury as 'Best Male' and 'Best Female' face to get their portfolios made in Mumbai. The grand finale, concluded with crowning of the winners.

It was as hard as tuff to crack it to the finals, but it was sure a learning experience for the students. Being a part of MTV brigade was a dream come true for the students pursuing fashion-designing course. A memorable event not only for the participants but also for the viewers!

Shampa Saha

Photographs: Rahul Devnath

BA (Journo, Psy & Eng)