Rohit Bal’s extravagant ICW 2018 finale was like a dream, a very stylish one. See pics

Fashion designer Rohit Bal was inspired by “a bouquet of florals” for his parade of regal lehengas and elegant floor-grazing anarkalis mixing jewel tones and monochromes, velvet and lace, nature and geometric motifs at the India Couture Week 2018 finale.

For India Couture Week 2018’s grand finale on Sunday, fashion designer Rohit Bal offered his brand of glitz with plenty of impressive handiwork and a generous helping of regal embellishments to go around. An exotic blooms-inspired runway lent itself perfectly to Bal’s signature penchant for fantasy, lavish, jewelleded embroidery, velvets and drama. There was hardly anything that could pass as not over-the-top glamourous. We didn’t expect anything less from the ace couturier’s finale.

At ICW 2018 finale, even when Rohit Bal’s lehengas, anrkalis and long jackets were in monochromes, they were sensual in their confidence.(Amal KS/HT Photo)

Rohit Bal’s super-elegant haute couture 2018 collection was titled Guldasta, a bouquet of florals. (Amal KS/HT Photo)

Structured lehengas dripping in rich beaded floral embroidery with sculptural peplums to free-flowing anarkalis with nipped waists and glittering gold embroideries are Bal’s speciality, and with his latest show, the couturier stepped it up a notch in a collection fit for queens and kings.

In his super-elegant haute couture 2018 collection — titled Guldasta, a bouquet of florals — Bal blended sparkling floral and animal motifs and his hyper-feminine shapes in a palette of wintry jewel tones like ruby and red, as well as whites, greys, black, pearl and gold. Black-on-black and white-on-white worked best for showcasing the designer’s penchant for symmetry and angular forms and one saw exquisitely rendered variations on delicate otherworldliness and tulles gloriously embellished. Even when they were in monochromes, were sensual in their confidence.

Bal kicked off with white lehengas, sweeping anarkalis and jackets of every length beaded in startlingly vibrant motifs that set the tone for a wealth of crystal-studded nature-inspired and geometries throughout. His show was beautiful beginning to end, but we can’t stop thinking about this whimsical bird motif. Bal’s ivory and grey anarkalis and lehengas were crafted to look like the idyllic landing spots of the prettiest flamingos and parrots — picture perfect oversized flowers climing across lehengas, adding graphic impact and colourful stems poking out here and there. It suits our maximalist, embellishment-loving tastes.

Bal presented a range of richly embroidered conceptual gowns and sarees. Many were in fact the stuff of a dream — yes, a wearable one. The full-length sleeves were more classical — read literal — in allure. Whether simple or exaggerated, Bal’s constructions were impeccable, and he piled on no excess (jewels, accessories) with an artist’s eye. Sleek topknots, minimal make-up but lush lashes finished the look. The result was a collection of clothes that screamed fashion.

India Couture Week, presented by Hindustan Times and Sunil Sethi Design Alliance, will be on from July 25 to July 29, in Delhi.

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