Suddenly, a lazy Sunday becomes suffused with energy – there are make-up artists, hair stylists and a host of Verve staffers scurrying about the impressive Mahindra Towers, Mumbai. Really, getting eight women of 'hot' couture together could be termed nothing short of an achievement. Smiles pasted, calves toned to deal with the pressure, endless cups of soda (not diet, by the way) and coffee later and we have 10 hours worth of memories of one helluva iconic shoot.

We start with two good omens: the breaking of porcelain and Rita Dhody. The first to arrive, amicable to a T and replete with fresh ideas, Rita remains, until the end of the day, charm personified. In an aside, while we wait for the others to put on the finishing touches of their make-up and get the team from Yasmin's to tease their hair into sensational curls, she tells me, rather nostalgically, how she not only let Verve into her heart, but also into her home for an "amazing feature, full of depth, that brought in everything that was good and beautiful in my life" way back in 2003.

There is a lively sprite-like quality about Akanksha Nanda. Her vitality seems to spring from more than her slight frame and she chats with me about how much fun she had on a 'London holiday' where she did a fashion story with Verve and managed to squeeze in time for some heavy-duty sightseeing as well.

I skip past reams of cloth and a tangle of wires, stop to admire a couple of well-guarded stunning pieces of Zoya jewellery and make my way towards Nandita Mahtani and Haseena Jethmalani. As they are busy multitasking - what with make-up, personal chats and phone calls, it becomes practically impossible to get a word in edgeways. Besides, Nandita is terribly distracted, having made a rather ambitious plan for Alibaug for this afternoon. As her phone rings non stop and her antsy stance begins to affect the others, photographer Vishesh Verma and the Verve art team (creative director Falguni Kapadia and photo editor Lamya Bhatri) attempt to get the perfect shot.