IT’S still not time for Indian fashion,” Tina Tahiliani Parikh remarked, as she walked out of designer Rajesh Pratap Singh’s inaugural show at the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week on Wednesday. Parikh’s grouse was not against the designer’s collection, but the venue. Hall Number 7 at Pragati Maidan might have been transformed to give a plush look, but it did not go down well with many in the fashion fraternity.

The tenth edition of the WIFW lived up to its routine tamasha: a low-key start and pre-show chaos as fashionistas clutching their Pradas wondered where to go.

“I like the compactness of the venue, but for people who are not aware of the layout, there’s hardly any information as to whether there is a buyers’ lounge and where people can interact with designers,” said Sunil Sethi of Alliance Merchandising.

In spite of the hiccups, designers are not writing the week off. “For the first time the event is being held at a place which connects with the masses. It’s a trade event and it does not really require the snootiness of five-star hotels,” said Mumbai-based designer Rocky S.

First-time visitor Ya Masui from Japan, a freelance fashion consultant, too was suitably impressed by the place. “It’s very large and much more grand than I could have imagined,” he said.

The list of buyers given out by the Fashion Design Council of India is impressive, with over 80 domestic buyers and 60 international buyers. But most of them were missing in action on the first day.