Mumbai is where the fame and glamour games are at, but since March 2023, an almost impossible party métier seems to have been set in basalt by the city, upon itself. The bar was raised irrevocably by the magnitude and magnificence of French fashion house, Christian Dior’s pre fall 2023 runway show held at the Gateway of India on March 30, so much so that no one remembers or wants to remember ABCD – A Before Christian Dior era! Mumbai shows no signs of tailing off the money shots any time soon, with Chivas Glassware Alchemy 2023 shaking up the city’s May calendar with its beguiling arrival.
The fourth edition of Chivas Glassware Alchemy 2023, called the Kaleidoscope of Time, was held on Saturday, May 6th in Mumbai at Snowball Studios in Worli. Time as a construct cannot be contained, but it can certainly be felt, such was the ubiquitous theme of the haute summer night. Oscillating between the then and now, the alluring blue-hued night reiterated the universal infinitude that today’s new is tomorrow’s vintage through fashion, art, music and food in a manner most luxurious.
Five virtuosos played host in previous years at Chivas Alchemy, expressing themselves through the five senses of Sight, Sound, Smell, Taste, and Touch, but this edition had eighteen this time around, dix huit being the magic number of the award-winning Chivas 18 whisky blend.
The night was separated by rooms, each echoing the spirit of the artistry exhibited in it. Eleven design minds, ranging from established Indian designers to emerging ones, showcased their fashion genres through live installations in the main room, ably complemented by the art on the walls, a very busy bar and of course beautiful people like Malaika Arora, Arjun Kapoor, Rahul Khanna, Pulkith Modi, Kunal Kapoor, Narendra Kumar, Rajesh Pratap Singh and so many more at the party. There were almost a thousand people in attendance! The second area had an art installation with a bar right by it and a mezzanine bar above. The third room was where the party was really at with an edible centrepiece and culinary experiences par excellence by Ekaa Mumbai, Koko and Eat Drink Design. Chef Niyati Rao of Ekaa Mumbai is a culinary genius! The live musical act by Delhi businessman Ajay Bijli, and his band, Random Order, had everyone singing and dancing to his dulcet sounds – he’s got some pipes – and DJ Masha from Belarus turned up contemporary beats on her turntable, with yet another open bar led by mixologist, Giovanni Depergola from Dubai. Four open bars raising the party bar in Mumbai!
The interpretation of the night was yours, and yours alone, whether you loved the vintage, heritage vibe or the modern, hedonistic one. Everything in Mumbai is now evaluated in an AD (After Dior) parameter and that’s a tall order in itself, and I think that Chivas Glassware Alchemy 2023 was a wicked success making it one of the top three events in the city so far – it was mounted and orchestrated on a lush scale, with an attendance as bold and seductive as its whisky blends!
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Rubina A Khan 