A celebration looked forward to by those invited every year is always a occasion for a fiesta of fashion and style. This year the party was held at the Colombo Hilton Ballroom with a galaxy of the best dressed women in the society circles present. Ofcourse among this set is Padma Maharaja who wore a saree of chiffon which was a delicious confection of pink shading into a grey with scattered motifs in a ivory silk, with a sheen and a piping border. Her blouse was in a crochet in the ivory, and her necklace was studded in stones in the same colours with cluster eardrops to match.

Smart in black and white was Yasmin Jayasinghe, the white segments of the saree embroidered in black and white leaves. Indu Rasiah too wore black, her kameez worked at the neckline for cocktail elegance, while Gayathrie Swaminathan had her sleeveless canary yellow raw silk top sased in a black and white greek a patterned tabric which was also used as an inset at the keyhole neckline. Black and white formed lightening streaks on the saree Maheshi Coomaraswamy wore with had a broder and pallu in a light Prussian blue. The pink saree Suni Nirmalalingam wore had little rings of black on it, and a pallu in black and white with the sleeve edged in the same design. The gossamer white saree Mela Karunanayake wore was quite unusual with a design on it in deep peach against stripes of brown. A blouse was in the stripes and she wore a necklace of perals with stone studded pendent and drop pendent earrings. Flame red combined with fused grey streaked with black on the saree Indira Wettasinghe wore while Nalini Senanayake’s Christian Dior silk saree was hand painted in a design of leaves in aquamarine and white.

Among the others making news in style were Mano Cadermanapulle, Shiranee Thenabadu Devika Printhiviraj in a salwar kameez, Kem Martenstynne in a brilliant appliquéd jacket in red Thai silk on black over a simple balck dress, Sharmila Karr in a white saree patterned in paisleys in subdued pale blue and lilac, she wore with a lilac hued blouse. Ramani Fernando made a chic statement in style in a top which a cowl collar and a suggestion of sleeve. A tender leaf green saree had a wide border in kum kum pink and gold in the kanchiveram saree Joan Atukorale wore, and Swarna Amaratunge had her red raw silk kandyan appliquéd on the iha and the sleeves on black net. The hotel catered to this sophisticated gathering with a unusual array of canapés and food off the hot grill.