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King of Indian Fashion rules again
Rohit Bal experienced his first-ever standing ovation in 16 years, writes Sunanda Kumar.
'Gudda' just experienced his first-ever standing ovation in 16 years of formally designing clothes. And perhaps the first one that was truly deserved since the Lakme India Fashion Week began.
Words like beautiful, exquisite and classy fall short to describe a collection that practically took the crowd's breath away. Completely done in ivory, beige and ecrue, it was a celebration of the first snowfall in Kashmir - Sheen Mubarak. "White means purity for me and I was inspired by the first sign of peace in turmoil-ridden Kashmir," Bal said. "Plus, I just love the colour - it's a personal favourite," he added.
Draping his models in yards of matka silk, chanderi and silk chiffon with "vark ka kaam" all over, Bal used white and silver beads in their hair to give a Mughal/Victorian look. The clothes were fit for a Mughal princess - opulent and stunning. "I have been meaning to revive this form of art and am really glad that I was finally able to do so," he said.
Although white has been done to death by most of the designers so far, it took on a life all its own under Bal's skillful eye. "I could have used other colours but wanted to focus on just the purity of white," Bal said.
Full-waisted skirts, slim skirts, wrap arounds - all with silver 'vark ka kaam' (beating gold or silver till it becomes a thin flat sheet which is then heat-compressed onto the fabric so that it absorbs it). Knee-length coats completely covered with motifs in varq and crystals were majestic.
The men's wear was equally stunning with ankle-skimming angrakha jackets, sherwanis and even skirts - something he gets away most of the time. The only exception was the first garment in the men's collection - which looked like a kurta-pyjama variant of the thermal long-underwear for men! It then, mercifully, moved on to classic sherwanis and long coats. Upen Patel looked a lot more sophisticated than his quirky self in an angrakha jacket.
Unlike past years when shock value was almost like a mantra for the self-confessed 'mad' designer (remember the guys coming out with sindoor in their hair?), this years look was of understated elegance with a degree of opulence to it.
Added to this is exquisite Bandhani, in special motifs and patterns, made specially to compliment the silhouettes of the garments. Motifs like The Lotus Garden (also seen in Abu Sandeep's collection), Sunflowers and the Arabesque were visible all over.
But perhaps the most visible motif - in the garments as well as the jewellery - was the crescent or the "chandamama" as Bal called it. "I saw a velvet jacket that belonged to a Mughal King of the 15th century at the Smithsonian Institute with crescents all over it and velvet buttons and thought why not get inspired by something closer home," Bal said.
The grand finale of Bal's collection was truly grand. The designer couldn't have more right when he said, "the lust for shine is a human passion". Veteran model Sheetal Mallar walked out in a stunning crushed silk lehenga with appliqué work in real gold gotta, covered with a layer of chanderi to preserve it. The audience went wild over it - partly because of the gorgeous ensemble but perhaps mostly for the stunning Sheetal who did absolute justice to it.
