Holt Renfrew’s Uncrate India party: Waris Ahluwalia poses for selfies, guests go all out with sari-inspired style

by Paige Dzenis April 4, 2014

Holt Renfrew Uncrate India party — Photography by Jenna Marie Wakani

See the photos from Holt Renfrew’s Uncrate India party »

We gave you a behind-the-scenes peek at how Alexandra Weston and Waris Ahluwalia curated the Holt Renfrew H Project Uncrate India collection. We shared 50+ artisanal items from the collection. And now it’s time to take a look at the incredible bash that Holt Renfrew threw last night in celebration of it all. The Bloor Street store was transformed into a vibrant Indian market, welcoming hundreds of guests adorned in sari-inspired attire. Rooms were tented with pink and orange fabric for an intimate feel, gilded bird cages stuffed with flowers hung from the ceilings and guests were greeted upon arrival with a shower of rose petals. But the lavish extravaganza didn’t stop there.

“Holt Renfrew and House of Waris basically just threw a ladies’ sangeet,” tweeted Fashion freelancer Poonam Kuar Billing, referring to the pre-wedding celebrations that occur in the days leading up to Indian nuptials. Indeed, “Indian wedding” was used by many of the guests to describe the night’s events. There were Bollywood dancers in shimmering lenghas, whose high-octane dance moves packed more cardio into the five minute routine than we get in a 45-minute workout. Partygoers could get elaborate mehndi designs painted up their arms or have a custom set of bangles created to match their outfits. By the end of the night, the most in-demand activity was the postcard station, with a half-dozen photos from India for guests to personalize with notes to friends and lovers. (Drunk-ish postcard writing is indeed an art form.)

Of course, when it came to the style, Uncrate India partygoers went all out. Jenny Bird was adorned head-to-toe in champagne shades, including an eye-catching jewelled headpiece and a luxe sari. Alexandra Weston’s orange Pankaj and Nidhi dress looked like it could have been plucked from the Uncrate India collection, while guest of honour Waris Ahluwalia looked as dapper as ever in a slick blue suit, graciously posing for photos throughout the night. And most importantly, almost all the women took advantage of the complimentary bindis, likely channeling their inner ’90s Gwen Stefani.