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Pratap goes back to school
A pink condom in a tiffin box with a note scribbled on a sheet of paper - models dressed like schoolgirls in black jumpers over white shirts. If Rajesh Pratap is inspired by the proliferation of sexual activity among kids, he isn't saying so.
A pink condom in a tiffin box with a note scribbled on a four-line sheet of paper - healthy body healthy mind. Models dressed like schoolgirls in black jumpers over white shirts.
If Rajesh Pratap is inspired by the proliferation of sexual activity among school kids, and in particular the infamous DPS MMS case, he isn't stating so explicitly. "I haven't been inspired by that incident in particular. My schoolgirl is not the proverbial perverse Japanese teenager. Rather, she is an average serious young girl from a small town in India," Pratap said.
If so, then the trend of is perhaps even more disturbing. Paradoxically, Pratap focused more on the virginal quality of the schoolgirl instead of the sleaze, with a collection that was fairly breezy and light.
Clean lines, breezy cotton knits with silver foil appliqué work were used to create jumpers, shirtdresses and rouched skirts. The hemlines skimmed the knee and were worn with tennis shoes and socks. The linen pant suits worn with kurtis and jackets were a stark contrast from last year's dramatic collection, 'Giger goes to Varanasi to meet the cult of Shiva'. Last year's collection had a lot of blacks and reds and was even gothic in nature.
"The mood of the collection has a lot to do with what the designer is going through at the time of designing it. This year I think I'm feeling happier and much lighter," the elusive designer said who is considered the male version of Greta Garbo.
Pratap
, however, couldn't move too far from his trademark-structured jackets. Although in silk blends and cotton knits, the jackets had a distinct structured feel to them. Some of the knee-length coats had intricate embroidery all over and were worn with relaxed easy fit linen pants. "The collection was quite simple this time, though I tried to use embroidery in places," he said.
While the first couple of segments were mainly in black and white, there was a dash of colour in the last segment. However, the pinks and blues were not the pastels we've been seeing all week. They had a darker undertone to them but were crafted with Grecian influences. Models wearing peasant blouses and capris with girly pigtails were very youthful and fresh.
Perhaps the most striking part of the entire collection was that it was extremely wearable. And wearable here doesn't mean that the society queens and model wannabes can wear them to their social dos. Each garment, be it the linen pants or the kurtis or even the long jackets could be worn by anyone with a sense of style and loads of money to spare.
