Film wife, Gauri Khan, donned the Maheep Kapoor-designed danglers for Notandas & Sons; Big B’s baby, Shweta (Bachchan) Nanda, sashayed happily down the ramp for Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla; fitness guru, Nawaz Modi Singhania, reclined in a diaphanous creation for Falguni and Shane Peacock. Moving away from the handful of professional clothes horses who routinely walk the ramp or pose prettily for print, fashion designers and brand bosses have begun to woo style-conscious ladies who lunch and fashionistas to add interest to their media campaigns. Verve looks at the catching trend and zooms in on four model socialites –Rita Dhody, Nandita Mahtani, Feroz Gujral, Priya Sachdev

Beige ensemble with gold sequins at Ananya. Make-up and hair by Ruhi Bindra.

NANDITA MAHTANI

"She was the first glam girl to pose for Falguni and Shane Peacock and even appeared for a promotion for Chorosch saris with her mother, Indu, and sister, Anu Mirchandani. A designer and store owner herself, Nandita Mahtani, always bustling to keep her finger on the pulse of the fashion world, is a regular social animal and a favourite of the party paparazzi.

Modelling stint: After Falguni and Shane, I am open to doing another campaign. But it will only be for a designer whose work is different and obviously, someone whose clothes I choose to wear.

The perfect model: If I had to choose a woman as the face of my label, I would opt for Madhu Sapre. She is not too skinny and yet, amazing looking."

Lehenga choli, designed by Feroz Gujral with fabric by Manju Jalota.

FEROZ GUJRAL

"The former model not only teaches at the National Institute of Fashion Technology but is also working on her pet project, a script for a film. With her lithe, well-toned frame and youthful style, her clingy catsuits and backless ensembles, Delhi-based Feroz Gujral, grabs attention wherever she goes. Daughter-in-law of painter, Satish Gujral and wife of architect, Mohit Gujral, she has appeared in a campaign for Cue (Rohit Khanna and Rahul Gandhi) and in an ad film for Lakme.

‘Real’ models: Real life celebrities create a greater impact for two reasons. First, we actually wear the clothes in our day-to-day lives or while socialising. And, it is much easier for women to relate to us than it is for them to identify with the skinny professionals from the fashion world.