The biggest surprise gift from ex-supermodel Naomi Campbell to her 50-year-old Russian billionaire boyfriend was probably not the performance of singer Diana Ross but that of legendary rock performer Mick Jagger who sang for the birthday boy at the Umaid Bhawan Palace hotel on Wednesday. Jagger and his troupe left the guests spell-bound. The performance was held just before the cake-cutting ceremony on Wednesday.
The 150 high profile guests included Hollywood’s Demi Moore and model Kate Moss. The Duchess of York Sarah Ferguson was also part of the celebrations.
All the guests wore Indian outfits and binged on Indian fare including Rajasthani specialities like ker sangri, kadhi, laal maas, ladoos and rasgullas. Naomi wore a pink and magenta lehenga created by designer Manav Gangwani for a while before changing into an Alexander McQueen dress later in the evening. Her boyfriend however chose to wear a black Jodhpuri jacket with pajamas. Designer Manish Malhotra dressed up other celebs including models Kate Moss, Karolina Kurkova and actor Demi Moore. Naomi also wore a chikan kurta designed by Malhotra at a brunch during the event. “Naomi wearing my outfit from Mijwan collection,” Malhotra tweeted, and was congratulated by actor Shabana Azmi who tweeted back, “Naomi Campbell in Manish Malhotra kurta with Mijwan chikankari. MIJWAN goes global.” Mijwan Welfare Society is a NGO run by Shabana Azmi.
Guests arrive at the brightly hued venue, Mehrangarh Fort, Jodhpur
Besides the Umaid Bhawan Palace, the guests also had elaborate meals at the lavish Ajit Bhawan which is touted as the first heritage property in India and is owned partly by designer Raghavendra Rathore.
Naomi, who wanted to make this event an affair to remember had even flown in singer Diana Ross to perform on the second day of the two-day bash. In keeping with the desi theme, local folk artists also performed in various parts of the Meherangarh fort, one of the venues of the event. Among the Indian guests, we spotted Parmeshwar Godrej, hotelier Vikram Chatwal, actor Shophie Chaudhary and designers Manav Gangwani and Manish Malhotra.
