Picture this. A gorgeous woman with cascading curls with a majestic maang-tikka shining on her forehead walks towards you. Delicate hands coloured with 'alta' adjust her beautiful lehenga as the rhythm of the ghungroos around her ankles send you in a trance.
No you're not sitting in a Nawab's mehfil - this was Rocky S' fall-winter collection. Only, the lehenga hemline went up by a couple dozen inches, the choli was replaced by a jewelled halter and the air was filled with techno-mughal-e-azam.
Rocky S gave the crowds what they were begging for - dhinchak bollywood ishtyle with a saucy edge. The models langurously walked the stretch with ghungroos around their ankles, maang tikkas in their hair and alta on their hands.
Knee-lenght brocade 'lehengas' worn with jewelled tanktops were an absolute rage with the crowds. As were the empire waist dresses in tangy colours like peacock blue and flourescent orange. The Bollywood designer insists that colours are not just for summers. "I think winter wear is so drab and boring - I thought why not happy colours for winter as well!?," Rocky S said.
Accessorised with 'mor pankhs' and ghunghroo belts, the models looked like new-age mujrewalis that rock nightclubs instead of mehfils!
{{/usCountry}}Accessorised with 'mor pankhs' and ghunghroo belts, the models looked like new-age mujrewalis that rock nightclubs instead of mehfils!
{{/usCountry}}The hair for the season is definitely curly. Like most of the earlier shows today, here too the models showed off girly curls - both long and short. The makeup was dramatic with an emphasis on eyes.
While brocade ruled the collection, there were a number of other fabrics like georgette, silk and lycra that made appearances as well.
An absolute crowd-favrourite was the wacky version of the churidar-salwar. A peach translucent ankle-lenght kurta, embellished with zardozi worn with a skin-tight bright orange churidar with appliqué. Another favourite was the pair of jeans with gold appliqué all over - which might look OTT at a bus stop but would be stunning at a party.
With the way weddings are becoming more flamboyant than ever, who knows, Rocky S' collection might just replace the traditional trousseau!
THE OTHER VIEW: Drama on the runway
Arati Thapa/HT City
Designer Rocky S ended the first day of LIFW with a fashion show of creations that was a riot of colours and fine-tuned to the T. The designer added an Indian touch to the show, with blood red alta on the models' feet, ghungroos on the ankles and stonestudded tikas on the forehead for a dramatic effect. The background music was a mix of old Bollywood numbers with foot tapping instrumental music. The colour palette included striking blues, reds, orange, saffron, mustard and beige.
The creations made ample use of brocade, chiffon, net, georgette and denim with surface ornamentations. Short skirts in brocade, long coats and short jackets with embroidered sleeves and necks were showcased with flared and layered skirts. There were denim pants, layered skirts with net and lace, leather pants, T-shirts with Rocky S written on them, fluted tops teamed with embroidered net tops, and a striking blue sheer dress with a sequined underwear peeping through.
Rate-o-meter
Wearability: 6
Presentation: 7
Front row: Designers Arjun Khanna, JJ Valaya, Siddharth Tytler, Gauri-Nainika, Gautam Singhania and all the important international buyers
Buzz factor: 8
Late-o-meter: 20 minutes