IN ROCKY TERRAIN: WHEN HYPE FALLS FLAT
Akash Arora (HT City)

Rocky S. has risen in life. From rustling up Hrithik Roshan and Preity Zinta at his LIFW 2001 show, to making Hrithik walk his ramp at the Selfridges show to having Boris Becker in his front row at his LIFW 2002 show on Friday evening – this Mumbai boy has come a long way. But that’s it! Rocky S’ show, as always, would be remembered for its guest list and certainly not for his grotesque, highly impractical collection of ill-fitted, low-slung denim jeans, kitsch skirts and hot pants.

The most apt comment on his collection came from Kolkata-based designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee who called it “highly uncreative and meant for juvenile delinquents.” According to choreographer Tanya Lefebvre, his clothes were “just not stylish enough”. Even his guest of honour Boris Becker (caught midway on his way out at the fire exit) “didn’t think too much of it.”

The problem with the show was it was a wee bit too repetitive. In his first sequence, Rocky’s men walked the ramp in sandblasted flared jeans. But it became a drag as in his following sequences his women walked the ramp with a similar look. He copied international trends to the hilt without élan as Inder Mohan Sudan was spotted in bootlegs that crumpled below his shoes and Nethra Raghuraman exposed her thunder thighs in ripped-and-torn denim hot pants. Jesse Randhawa got attention for a skimpy bustier and so did Diandra Soares who walked in a short denim skirt and a semi-transparent nipple-revealing bra-top.

The only applause for his collection came from model-turned-choreographer Marc Robinson and Diya Mirza (both sat in the front row). But Marc and Diya were certainly in the minority. Moral of the story: too much hype sometimes proves fatal!