Woman in charge

The city’s dynamic fashion scene can boast of a gorgeous new addition – Ramona Narang, the hot Mumbai Page 3 diva-turned-designer who keeps both, the fashion and society pages sizzling with her eclectic style and interesting persona. Ramona’s fab collection was launched with much fanfare at Soirée recently, giving our ladies one more name to add to their designer wardrobes. However, Ramona herself prefers to keep her fashion ‘real’ and ‘accessible’. She tells us more about her foray into Dubai and what she thought of the famous Ameesha Patel-Bipasha Basu spat over her designs a year ago!

What brings you to Dubai?
Dubai is the fashion leader of the Middle East. The city is a centre for all things fashion and every designer who has a certain standing must open a boutique or retail store here. That’s the reason I decided to bring my label to this fashion-forward city. I admire the energy and love for fashion and shopping that’s evident everywhere. Women here are very conscious of what they wear and who they wear.

What’s the USP of your collection?
My aim is to design for ‘real women’. Our cuts accentuate a woman’s figure. The garments are extremely beautiful yet they don’t overshadow her. Our designs are sensual and give the woman a sense of pride and confidence when she wears them. The collection works with women belonging to any age-group.

What made you turn designer and how would you describe the experience so far?
Around two and half years ago when I got pregnant, I realised that there wasn’t any interesting maternity wear I could sport so I started making my own clothes. My friends then started asking me to make them the same, only they weren’t even pregnant! Compliments and requests followed so I thought, ‘why not my own line’?! And that early inspiration resulted in the creation of my couture, cocktail and resort wear lines.

Last year, there was a lot of controversy about Ameesha Patel and Bipasha Basu wearing a similar dress from your collection at an event. What was your reaction to the
entire episode?
It’s unfortunate but flattering at the same time. Both of them were gracious enough to let the matter die a natural death. But it’s definitely not fair to blame the designer for such a faux pas. Ameesha had bought the dress directly from me whereas Bipasha’s stylist had picked it up for her to wear in a movie. But I believe both of them looked stunning and that is what matters.

What would you say are the hottest trends this season?
Multi-hues of colours are huge this season. The cuts and silhouettes of the garments should be sexy but the look should not overpower the personality of the wearer. Also, the focus is now shifting to the quality of the garments rather than the quantity.

What are the fashion no-nos this season?
Garments that are too tight for the wearer with unflattering bulges showing are absolute no-nos ALWAYS!

How often do you travel to Dubai?
I travel to Dubai usually once a month. I like to visit the boutique and interact with my clients here. It gives me inspiration and ideas for my next collection.

How would you rate Dubai’s fashion quotient compared to other cities in the world?
Dubai women have a very distinct and personal style of fashion. They are traditionalists and fashion-forward at the same time. Also, Dubai fashion is about a lot of intricate embroideries, crystals and fine workmanship. As for shopping, the city offers unmatched and unlimited opportunities for those who love to shop till they drop!