Fashion came alive in a cosmopolitan spirit on the evening of Day 2 of Van Heusen India Men’s Week 2011. With four designers slated to showcase their respective collections within a brief window of time, there were quite a few doubts that unsettled the minds of the people.
Would individual collections provide diversity in their range of ensembles or would the audience be exposed to an excessively ‘tailored’ line of creations? Worries of all kinds were put to rest once the show commenced.
A fast paced show of sorts, every package of designs streamed into the other with sheer neatness distinguishing one collection from the other. While Abraham and Thakore’s traditional Indian silhouettes mixed the ethnic with the modern, Rohit Gandhi and Rahul Khanna’s Joie De Vivre defined the menswear in celebratory shades of joy and style. Where handloom weaves and techniques of shibori and iktat credited an intensive cut to Rajesh Pratap Singh’s sartorial excellence, Abhishek Gupta’s garments experimented with modern patterns and traditional techniques infusing freshness to the creation.
Who better than women can understand fashion, even when it comes to designing for the male brigade. Day 2 of the ongoing Van Heusen India Mens Week (VHIMW) saw a lot of female designers dazzle at the runway. Rajvi Mohan, Sanchita Ajjampur, Krishna Mehta, Ankita & Anjana Bhargav gave tough competition to their male counterparts.
1 – ‘Hindustani’ collection by Rajvi Mohan.
‘Phir Bhi Dil Is Hindustani’ collection by designer Rajvi Mohan kicked off the Day 2 at the Mens Week. It was a fusion of contemporary and classic for modern men of today who is Indian at heart.
“The cuts were made keeping in mind traditional silhouettes. It was kept modern and was shorter and more taper. Every garment had an Indian touch. No guy should be afraid of being an Indian no matter where they go. Kurtas were very detailed with no embroidery. You can wear it with jeans, club it with jackets and have a lot of fun with them,” said the designer.
“Designing men’s wear is a lot more fun than designing women’s wear,” added the designer.
Runway report:
The collection featured kurtas, bandhgalas, jackets, slim-fit pants and shirts in hues and tones of black, brown, gray, blue and orange. The garments were well tailored with lot of patchwork. The collection was totally wearable and affordable. The collection ranges from Rs 2000 onwards.
2 – ‘Miami’ inspired collection by Sanchita.
There was a blast of colours in Sanchita Ajjampur’s collection which catered to classy and sophisticated men.
“It’s a fun collection for somebody who likes to dress and feels good in his own skin. I recently went to Miami and got inspired. So I have lots of yellows, oranges and corals. It’s a summer collection, a resort collection and so we need to have colours. In India, nobody does men in colours, so we should totally go for it. There’s a lot of mix and match in my collection. I want my men to be versatile,” said the designer.
“I have been into men’s wear for a long time. That’s what I like to do. My sensibility for men is very new for the Indian market and so that’s a challenge for me,” she added.
Runway report:
Woodcut prints, vintage detail, geometric prints, Japanese stripes and checks could be seen. Slim-fitted shirts, bomber jackets, waistcoats, trousers, twill pants and shorts were part of Sanchita’s couture.
Lots of accessories like bags, hats and glasses were used designed by Sanchita herself.
3 – ‘Free-spirit’ collection by Krihna Mehta.
The collection invoked the free-spirited appeal of the brand. The retro collection was inspired by yesteryear stars like Dev Anand, Shammi Kapoor and Raj Kapoor.
“The high-energy show was targeted at the youth. It was a tribute to yesteryear heroes like Raj Kapoor, Shammiji, and Dev Sahab. The idea was to mix past with the present and wear it in a beautiful way with a little twist,” said the designer.
Runway report:
The models came from all corners of the Main Show Area and made their way to the ramp. The eclectic music with tracks like Aaja Aaja Main Hu Pyaar Tera, Yahoo Chahe Koi Mujhe Junglee Kahey and Gata Rahe Mera Dil set the perfect mood for the collection.
Fabrics like cotton, linen and silk was used. The collection comprised of kurtas, bandgalas, jackets, achkans, embroidered sherwanis, trousers folded till ankle, dupattas (tie and die or crushed) and torned jeans.
4 – ‘Topsy turvy’ collection by Ankita & Anjana Bhargav.
Mother-daughter duo presented an interesting concept of topsy turvy garments under their label ANKY.
“We have experimented but the collection is very wearable. We chose our colour palette keeping in mind what works for the men. Our topsy turvy range will set the trend for the youth. You can wear it both ways. You can play so much with one-piece itself and style it differently every time you wear it. That was the focus of our collection,” told Ankita.
Runway report:
Topsy turvy knits were the highlight of the collection which can be worn upside down as well. Silk, cotton and pashmina were mainly used. The colours palette included gray, brown, white and green. Flap trousers, shirts, cowl shorts, jodhpurs, sweat shirts were seen.
Models were seen wearing socks which were converted into shoes by adding laces to it. Interesting glasses were donned by the models.