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Rohit & Rahul
CUE by Rahul Khanna and Rohit Gandhi is your ticket to the world of Glam Rock. A truly rocking collection from the talented duo that is sure to up the glam quotient of the wearer - both guys and girls.
CUE by Rahul Khanna and Rohit Gandhi is your ticket to the world of Glam Rock. A truly rocking collection from the talented duo that is sure to up the glam quotient of the wearer - both guys and girls.
'Glamourously Gothic' as coined by Khanna, the collection was glamourous yes, and gothic in parts, especially the black knee length frilly poofy skirts, with an invisible crinoline worn with ruffled elegant Victorianesque blouses.
Traditional gothic elements like black make-up, deathly white faces and outrageous jewellery were fortunately missing, although the 'dead' look was used with a strange pasty blue powder that the models were smeared with. The duo also used the religious Cross in parts of their line. "We were going for a 'dead glamourous' look which was also slightly gothic," Gandhi said.
The show kicked off with a stunning body suit in a muted brown with self embroidery, and moved on to a delightful mix of sequinned halters, flared jackets, exquisitely crafted wraps, digitally printed t-shirt dresses and asymmetrical skirts - a must-have this season. The duo did the mammoth task of sexifying the otherwise boring brown into the new black for this Fall-Winter.
The clothes then moved to a Grecian-inspired look with lovely blouses in dreamy greys and midnight blues. Lovely chiffon dresses, layered mini-skirts floated around but the silhouettes remained slim.
The outfits looked young yet sophisticated, especially with the useless but amusing satin shoulder puffs. Khanna and Gandhi played with wide shiny leather belts that gave emphasis to a high, middle or low waist.
The hazy-coloured cocktail dresses with their chiffon tiers added charm to the scene. A few long dresses appeared, with sophisticated draping like the post-Edwardians or movie stars of the 1920s and 1930s. And an updated shorter version of the 50's poodle skirt in black made the right impact.
Most stunning and distinctive were the rich fabrics like satin and distressed velvet. Jewel colours further gave the collection a very rich look. Next came leather, which was combined deliciously with sable trim in jackets and tunics with lean velvet pants.
The collection transcended labels like 'club wear' or 'evening wear' - the separates could be mixed and matched and would look stunning anywhere- provided that you wear 'em with an attitude.
THE OTHER VIEW: Powerhouse show
Arati Thapa/HT City
It was in a choc-a-block hall that designer duo Rohit Gandhi and Rahul Khanna unveiled their line CUE on Thursday. The show exuded energy that was evident in the fast-paced music, and the chic and sophisticated looks sported by the models on the ramp.
The Gandhi-Khanna line was young in its appeal: replete with puff balloon skirts, knife-pleated short and full length dresses, embroidered shirts and trousers, and coats in fabrics such as chiffon, net, velvet, leather and knits. The palette ranged from black -- the duo's trademark colour -- to red, brown and purple.
Brown, in fact, seemed to be the colour they are currently hot on. For their Fall/Winter collection, they used lots of muted gold metallic colours.
The skirts had chiffon, net and lace hemlines peeping from under the fabric. The flavour of the season, puff balloon skirts, made an appearance -and a splash.
Rate-o-meter
Wearability: 7
Presentation: 8. The full-length purple body stockings worked; so did the purple paint on the edges of the forehead.
Front Row: Ramona Garware, Tarun Tahiliani, Ameeta Seth, Manjit Bawa, Ina Puri and Laila Rajpal
Buzz factor: 9
Late-o-meter: 25 minutes
