In Delhi and Mumbai, Dueling Fashion (and Fashion Weeks) In recent weeks it has been hard to miss the crowds of designers, stylists, paparazzi and models in India's top two cities - as well as eager crowds of fashionistas sporting everything from leopard prints to rhinestones to strappy sun dresses. Both New Delhi and Mumbai have major fashion events this time of year, which bring buyers and designers from around the world. Like the two cities they are based in, though, they have their own distinct styles and attitudes. During Feb. 15-19, Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week in Delhi showcased 138 designers, attracted 180 buyers and drew a crowd of more than a thousand. Now touted as "Asia's biggest business of fashion event" by its organizers, it has grown substantially since the Fashion Design Council of India first started the show in 2007. Starting Friday, Mumbai hosts Lakme Fashion week, which has more than 80 designers and over 400 buyers registered to attend the event. This is the 13th edition of the Lakme Fashion week, which started in 2000 in Delhi with only 28 designers. That fashion shows in India should have a growing appeal is no surprise - the country is home to more than 50 billionaires, scores more millionaires, and millions of women who read the latest fashion magazines or follow local and international trends. High fashion's appeal is even spreading beyond India's metropolises. "We have seen a surge in buyer interest from smaller towns like Raipur and Ahmedabad, which now have greater spending power and interest in fashion," said Anjana Sharma, director, fashion at IMG Reliance, which is co-organizing the Mumbai fashion week. Still Mumbai and New Delhi remain India's centers of high fashion, and rivalry between the two cities, and two fashion weeks, remains fierce. Mumbai fashion is seen as edgier and more inventive, while in Delhi, where some of the country's most powerful business families interact with the most powerful government officials, brand-name bling is prominent. A luxury mall in Delhi, DLF Emporio, stocks Dior, Cartier, Louis Vuitton, and Versace to drape the city's elite. It's a city of conspicuous consumption where wealth rarely expresses itself quietly or subtly. The moneyed class, growing since India's two decades of liberalization, quickly wants to set itself apart. Divrina Dhingra, editor, Vogue.in, said that, for the most part, attendees of last month's Delhi Fashion Week dressed well and appeared to be following international trends, but the label remains important. It's not so much improvisation as wearing big brands and designer labels. And you see a lot more of that in Delhi than in Mumbai," Dhingra said. The capital city hosts many who tend to flock to showy, but less classy, brands to appear fashionable, she said. Designer Jatin Varma, who showcased his autumn and winter collection at the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week and will be presenting his summer/ resort collection at Mumbai, adds "You cannot define Delhi as being just bling, it has more to do with the season and the clientele." Mr. Varma describes Delhi fashion as "posh and sophisticated." Mumbai's fashionistas may disagree with that assessment. "Mumbai has a different take, we do not feel the need to be all dolled up when going to a club," Ms. Sharma said. A mix of new and established designers flaunted their sartorial predictions in the capital. Long-limbed models sashayed down the ramp in exquisite fabrics to the beat of catchy music - much like their counterparts in Milan and New York. A cosmopolitan mix of Indians and international models strutted and pouted - what one fashionista described as an international show with an Indian "tadka," or spice. Delhi Fashion Week doesn't draw the kind of star power of Mumbai's, which featured A-list Bollywood stars like Kareena Kapoor and Imran Khan walking the ramp last year. That isn't always appreciated in the fashion world. The media attention surrounding celebrities "sidelines" the designers and their work, designer Rohit Bal, the grand finale designer this year,said recently. While Mumbai has Bollywood star power, Delhi brings in political bigwigs. Being Delhi, where business and politics are forever conjoined, journalists asked a couple of celebrities after the opening show what they think about the sartorial choices of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, offspring of India's first political family, who has been campaigning in Uttar Pradesh. While actress Dia Mirza hailed Gandhi's style as fuss-free and effortless, designer Nikhil said, "she's got a great mix of India and Italy."