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On Day 3, Gauhar Khan had a malfunction with her outfit as well, which set everyone wondering — what’s going on?

After the wardrobe malfunction on day two, day three of the Lakme Fashion Week saw some busted zippers, swatches of fabric getting detached and some models trying desperately to keep their clothes in place.

Gauhar Khan, who was walking down the ramp in a Lascelles Symons creation, had a skirt zipper that gave way. Gauhar, who still had a distance to walk before she reached the wings, had little choice but to clutch on to her outfit - but not before everyone present got a glimpse of her derriere.

Symons explains that a piece of fabric had got caught in the zipper before Gauhar went on the ramp. “We had no time to put it right and Gauhar knew that. I told her to go on and to pray that nothing gives way,” he says.

While Gauhar refused to comment on what happened, Symons says that she was very upset backstage. During Mandira Wirk’s show, portions of some outfits fell off and the models had to hold their skirts in place because the buckles were unfastened. “During fittings, the models don’t walk so one never really knows what will happen on the ramp,” said Mandira.

Models Nina Manuel and Bhawna Sharma say that these things happen. “Just because there is so much media here, these things are getting highlighted,” said Nina.

The audience, who got to see more than they’d bargained for, also believe that designers should take responsibility for these incidents. “When I have jewellery shows, so many pieces break because no one has the time to handle them properly. The same must have happened with the clothes today,” said Queenie Dhody.

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After Hrs Analysis

Priya Tanna &  Saumit Singh

On Day 3, even as the Lakme Fashion Week tried to move past the issue of Carol Gracias’ ramp-walk disaster, more mishaps set tongues wagging.

While the tear in Gauhar Khan’s skirt was less embarrassing than what happened to Carol, the sheer frequency of such ‘malfunctioning’ dresses had the glitterati agog with speculation. Opinion ranged from the gracious to conspiracy theories, but no one knows for sure what’s going on.

“I just feel it’s a jinx. The designers are at fault - they understand their garments the best and the onus lies with them,” said designer Shaina NC.

“I haven’t seen Lascelles’ show, but I know him. I find it difficult to believe he would do something like this intentionally,” said ad and film producer Aarti Surendranath.

Sympathy for Carol, who reportedly broke down backstage after Wednesday’s incident, has been overwhelming. “It must have been awful for  Carol. Hats off to her for coming out again,’’ added Aarti.

“I had choreographed the show,” said former model Marc Robinson. “It was a genuine mishap. We had the alterations, but these things can happen. I don’t think  our fashion fraternity has stooped to a level of notoriety to allege this was a publicity stunt.”

But model Bhawna Sharma differed: “When a designer has a four-hour fitting, there’s no reason why a dress should fall off. You’ll never find something like this happening at a Wendell Rodricks or Suneet Varma show.”

Shaina NC, believes there was a critical flaw in the dress worn by Carol. “To base such a heavy outfit on a single clasp is not such a good idea, especially when we are trying to follow international standards. An outfit has to be wearable off the ramp as well. Imagine if this happened in real life!”

Very little has been left to imagination so far at  this event. Hushed conversations have centred around ill-fitting dresses, big egos and high stakes. Perhaps this is all idle gossip, but in an age where any publicity is good publicity, the skeptics were not to be stifled.