Masters like him just reiterate your belief that design still lives in India. That cutting edge chic can go with an undertone of folk-lore and India and Indian designers can now indeed give a run for their money to global designs .Rohit Bal. Was it the magic of his comeback or the absolutely yummy clothes that made even the mighty fall in the first row? (And that’s no pun intended for poor me who actually fell down at the thought of crossing the ramp and making it to the much fought over front row that most socialites gin for and writers like us shun. But then as my friend Shefali Vasudev puts it….. there is no faux pas in fashion!)
Many a jaws were seen hitting the floor, some in envy and some in awe. Humble me got three SMSes even as the show unfurled from old pals, patrons and followers of Gudda ‘Wow! Isn’t it.”……. ‘What hot bods.’……… “Thank God he’s back ‘And the gist of all conversation was non stop gushing eulogium.
It was indeed a great comeback of the maverick maestro, the drama king who can create magic even out of an industrial setting of the good ole garage .Difference being that Rohit Bal’s garage had the yummiest looking men working in it and the most artistic backdrop that the genius of Sumant Jailishen made possible.
So what was this design fairy tale all about? The mastery of restricting your palette to five solid colors and yet capturing the whole universe of design through them. Sharp red, sparkling white, electric blue, steel grey and the ubiquitous violet…..together they created design iridescence.
The crispness of silhouette, fit and form and the absolute chic in detailing made each body that emerged on the ramp look hot haute. The boleros, the many layered shrugs, the naughty can-cans and the stiff, billowy skirts were the perfect juxtapose to the fitted bodies, many sexily sheer. Sheer being the next best statement to the layers and layers that made each silhouette spectacular.
Even the boys wore the sheer fitted look. Black and white palette, a sharp silhouette combined with the shine of metallic zips, the richness of embroidery and a zen for fine detailing made Rohit’s menswear sassy yet male. No this time round he was not playing with the look. Instead men emerged like ‘mean machines on a mission’ on the ramp.
However it was the India connect that made this show so special .As a protagonist of all things made in India, for me, the treat was in the quiet appearance of gold appliquéing in the layered chiffon dresses, the subtle inclusion of zardozi on his velvet men’s jackets and the swirly appliqué motifs that adorned all his skirts…somehow they took the mind to the great chakra design that is iconically Indian. Off course his lotuses were missing. This was too chic a show to bring earth and earthy influences into.
And in the end when a frail and recuperating Rohit Bal emerged out of the Mitsubishi lancer, the car that the evening saw launching in the city, it were rows and rows of chic people who only emerge on pal Rohit Bal’s show who stood up for a standing ovation.Aman Nath,Subodh Gupta,Bharti Kher, Vicly Sawahney, Ajay Bijli,Bindu Vadhera…. The line up off the ramp was as star studded as on. But then, this is what Gudda’s fable is all about….Right?
Posted by : Anshu Khanna at 02:10 AM
