The 28th of November was Kirthi’s birthday and it was celebrated with great aplomb and included a celebration of him being sixty years in the world of fashion. Many speeches were made describing his wonders in the world of fashion. All of us who know Kirthi are well aware of his illustrious career in the fashion world.
What is wonderful about Kirthi is that he is a legend and is probably the first male fashion designer who actually created fabulous clothing when designing in an era that faced great limitations in fabrics and accessories.
It is not possible to compare Kirthi with the designers of today, who have at their hand a wide choice of fabrics, accessories and other requirements to create a fashionable outfit. Still they seem to be unable to design anything acceptable. They seem to have a knack to design the most awful and hideous clothing that are show cased on the catwalks in the many tacky shows one is subjected to currently. T
he bridal shows that are churned out almost monthly are absolutely like a rocky horror show and other than for a few classy designers from around this city it seems to have become a complete joke. It seems that the criteria to be a designer in Sri Lanka is the ability to sketch and have sufficient funds to showcase the creations.
I had a great evening interviewing Kirthi on his birthday and took some time reminiscing on his past. I am sure that most people at the function were unaware how sought after Kirthi was in his hay days. The crème de la crème of Colombo’s society women used to vie to be dressed by him and he was the most sought after bridal and make-up artiste at that time.
Kirthi who used to drive around in a convertible attended all the prestigious events in Colombo that cannot be compared to some of the very odd functions held these days. The Art Center Club where Kirthi spent a lot of his time was where the theatre groups used to get together and was always full of fun and interesting characters.
Some of Kirthi’s other favourite haunts were the Capri Club, Mascarilla, Blue Leopard and the Coconut Grove where they used to have sun down dancers. Akasa Kade was a great haunt too said Kirthi and these were few of the hot spots of that era where all the society people used to be spotted at.
It was such fun sitting with Kirthi and listening to his stories especially since it seemed that interesting people used to exist in Colombo. Sixty years in the fashion industry and Kirthi yet has a sharp eye and many could learn a lesson or two from this legend.
New kid
Colombo never ceases to surprise people. Just when one social astronaut has vanished into thin air it seems another is vying for this position. This was noted by some very sharp ladies who happen to come across this woman. I asked these ladies how they could recognize a social astronaut. Very simple they said.
Look around and see who is trying to take over everyone’s lives, forcing to be invited to parties and then trying to take over the party, making a big noise to be noticed and strutting around all over in silly clothing that does not suit her in any form and displaying the tendency of being a scrounger and user.
After hearing this great description I swept my eyes around at a recent function and it did not take me long to spot the new social astronaut in town. I always wonder why this type of woman wants to behave like this and what she gains from it. The ladies whispered to me that in time when she does get to places I would understand!
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