If Arjun Khanna has been low profile for a while, this collection was worth waiting for. 'Menswear Only' was the score; and it's certainly Arjun's forte. His tailoring was superb, whether applied to western or Indian wear: no heavily worked bridal wear that we may have expected - he's saving that for later in the year.
Instead: internationally acceptable menswear. More than half the show may have been Indian silhouettes but, with the western world's increasing democratisation of fashion, it's not far fetched to imagine European men snapping up these sherwanis as fast as their Indian counterparts. There is no doubt about their wearability.
The workmanship in the embroidery on the Indian range was exquisite, as was Arjun's colour sensibility: duck egg blue kurtas under navy sherwanis embellished with duck egg and multi coloured embroidery, as just one example. Chic. Chic. Chic.
The western range in particular showed great personality. The suits, in nark navy, or black flashed brilliant red silk linings and red or multi coloured buttonhole and 'perfect release' cuff details. This was tailoring that will easily hold its own against any western menswear.
Much of this range was far less formal; beautifully classically cut they may have been, but the pure cotton 'mismatched', embroidery and logos allow a guy to show he's 'not just a suit'. The gilets were fun and funky.
{{/usCountry}}Much of this range was far less formal; beautifully classically cut they may have been, but the pure cotton 'mismatched', embroidery and logos allow a guy to show he's 'not just a suit'. The gilets were fun and funky.
{{/usCountry}}The jeans were given that special touch, often missing from anything but couture: they were hand painted by Sunil Padwal, and Arjun assures us, can go into mass production as soon as the orders hit the desk.
The verdict on Arjun Khanna's menswear collection: 'A Resounding Triumph!'