It’s that time of year again. Come end April and the papers will be full of India Fashion Week. This is an event that requires a lot of preparation, not only by designers but also by row-one regulars. There are those ‘rulers of row one’ who take fashion show watching as seriously as stockbrokers do their stocks. More often, they receive greater attention than the designers and are better turned out than the models strutting down the ramp.

The women truly believe that it is their duty to occupy row one. For them, Fashion Week is not about the buyers but about them. The Week may have the tag line ‘the business of fashion’ but, to our ‘fashionites’, it is about the business of how good they look. Once you are a row one ruler, it becomes your job to bring eye-candy to Fashion Week, by dressing up. Being this well turned out, takes some serious shopping.

The Glamour Girls
These girls are truly into fashion; clothes, for them, is their raison d’être. For this, you need to be wearing designs from the other international fashion weeks and from labels that everyone will recognise. It’s about proving that you have fashion savoir faire. Go for labels that have a distinct style. Dolce and Gabbana, Roberto Cavalli and Chloé all work well, even those in the back rows will recognise their designs. Make sure they were bought just the month before Fashion Week – they have to be as much in tune with fashion trends as the clothes on the ramp.

If you sit in row one, it is official recognition that you know your fashion. This has to be spelt out by what you wear. Of course attention must be given more to the top, than the bottom. You will be sitting, so most people will only see the top half of your outfit, so always check that what you buy is sitting friendly! By this I mean that tops should not collapse as soon as you sit down and photographers should not be able to see down the front of your blouse.

The Swadeshi Set
These are the set of women who believe that they have to prove their support to the Indian fashion fraternity. This is like oxygen to fashion designers, or so they believe. These women wear clothes made only by Indian designers during Fashion Week. The month before, they will ask their close designer friends to make something special for them. (Remember all ‘fashionites’ have at least one designer on speed dial.)

Tips from the experts
So, what do those who sit on row one have to say?

TV anchor and sassy dresser, Simone Singh: “If people feel the pressure to dress differently, they shouldn’t. Dress as you normally do. It does feel good though to put on a great ensemble and be among other well turned out people.”