It's a collection targetted at the woman above 25, a woman who knows her mind, has seen the world and has impeccable taste. A look that is inspired by the 1930s straight clean lines is what the designer duo of Rohit Gandhi and Rahul Khanna decided to show at LIFW 2004.
Indeed, it's a 180-degree turn from their last year's pop art look. This time they have no frills, uneven hemlines and minimum floral prints. The highlight remains the play of textures to give that vintage feel that runs through the collection. Fashion always takes a full circle and this year despite drawing elements from the past, the look is modern.
Gandhi and Khanna were brave enough to also come out with a no colour line aptly titled Salt And Pepper that plays with hues that range from ivory, beige and creams. "Sheer and metal are two components that will rule and knits will follow. But to get that vintage look we used coins with an antique feel as embellishments, skirts with pleats, gun metal zippers that add to the rock star look," says Gandhi.
Showing a fall-winter 2004 collection, Gandhi and Khanna have also gone a step further to experiment by mixing unconventional fabrics like linen with wool that add a surprise to the outfits, much like the hand crochet sweaters. So, in tune with the look, the make-up too is retro chic, with a glamorous, antique feel to it, and the hair is curly and bouncy. "The colours are very 'in' and we wanted them to stand out as some of the clothes are muted," explains Khanna.
{{/usCountry}}Showing a fall-winter 2004 collection, Gandhi and Khanna have also gone a step further to experiment by mixing unconventional fabrics like linen with wool that add a surprise to the outfits, much like the hand crochet sweaters. So, in tune with the look, the make-up too is retro chic, with a glamorous, antique feel to it, and the hair is curly and bouncy. "The colours are very 'in' and we wanted them to stand out as some of the clothes are muted," explains Khanna.
{{/usCountry}}To jazz it all up a bit, the two have worked with foiled, ironed leather in silvery pink and electric blue jackets (H20 for men, Cue for women) with a rock star feel to break the beige boredom. But with former model Feroz Gujral as their muse, the two have established that they make clothes for real people. "We wanted a woman who embodies poise but the wearability factor had to be high. And this time we'll have no drama on the catwalk. Feroz gels with our look and is in sync with what we want to say," concludes Khanna.
Inspired Duo
People inspire the duo, "especially the way they carry themselves"
Gandhi was impressed by the textures he saw at Barcelona, "so we decided to use them in our collection"
They love the minimalist, Zen look. "That's the reason we mixed the old with the new."
Evoluzione, the new furniture store at Defence Colony stocks pleated lamps. "These inspired our pleated skirts."