Free-spirited Rohit Bals love for flowers got a poetic delineation as his craftsmanship shone through, and the yummy Bollywood dreamboat Arjun Rampal upped the ante!
By Asmita Aggarwal
The half moon looking down upon us, 1193 soaring structure built by Qutab-ud-din Aibak, the Qutab Minar as the backdrop, Bollywood sweetheart Arjun Rampal for eye candy and the historic Kuli Khan Tomb set the rhythm of maverick Rohit Bals WIFW Spring-Summer 2015 finale. Could we have asked for more?
But it was undoubtedly the dulcet notes of ace singer Shubha Mudgal which held it all together as her mellifluous voice set the tone of the evening along with honeyed claps mingling in the pre-winter night air of Aamir Khusros euphonious Chaap Tilak Sab Cheeni performed by a qawali troupe. If anyone knows how to do it in style, it is Gudda. And flowers were blooming with lotus his ubiquitous motif as well as chrysanthemums and peonies in his line aptly titled Gulbagh.
His models with roses in their buns, vintage chandeliers lighting up the mood and over a 100 models taking the runway by storm, Rohit send down a flurry of roomy cropped and quilted jackets in pristine white. His tone-on-tone embroidery on white angarakhas, golden jackets with touches of affable roses, churi sleeves and zari encrusted high collars showed his mastery over cut, finish and above all craftsmanship.
But he didnt abandon colour and gave it a fitting tribute with shocking pinks, cobalt blue and turmeric coloured sherwanis sans any embroidery to let the hues make a judicious impact. Brocade emerged in his churidars and ends of voluminous lehengas, worn with naughty blouses, specially Carol when she strutted with a cleavage accentuating number. The good part was that there was a vivid representation from stalwarts from all walks of lifefrom Bharti Kher to Subodh Gupta known for their artistic rendition capturing the strife of everyday life with the humblest itemsdots and pans.
The finale day at WIFW SS 15 also saw a melange of trends from youngsters like Niharika Pandey sticking to her school girl look and using plastic and its transparency as a recurring leitmotif on hems. Her fruity prints looked delicious on minis and tangerine as her colour du jour will certainly make summers delightful. The emblematic kitsch meetha and jalebi emblazoned on side slit skirts as well as little hearts on cropped tops were winsome! Shut Up and kiss Me reprimanded a sassy print, quite voiceferously on a flaming red legging and on the notes of wild haired beauty Tina Turners everlasting number Whats Love Got To Do With It, she made sure you will fall in love.
If Niharika played with love, Niket Mishra seemed to adore placement embroidery which found its way on yokes in bright orange on ivory blouses, as his dhoti style pants with side flaps as well as blazing piping on asymmetrical tunics courted femininity. Rahul Singh, on the other hand, wooed subdued elegance with his velvet bags, pearl and gold jhumkis and floor length, empire line angarakhas, though monochromes were omnipresent and so were dhoti pants in black worn with embroidered cholis. The salmon pink lehengas which came armed with pockets and net full skirts left an impression.
Cause-related fashion is always engaging and thats why Neeta Bhargavas plea against pollution complete with bird cages and black masks seemed to go with her theme. Commodious pants with generous pockets and plain canvas shoes and pin tucked white skirts spelt cool. And she carried forward her ideology with cowl neck dresses, all white tunics with hints of grey.
Chennais flamboyant designer Rehane Yavar Dala kept her promise to mirror work with Kutchi embroidery on short dresses mixing tradition with a pinch of spunk. Though what was most appealing were her distinct almost divergent combination of gingham checks with minuscule shorts with Kutchi threadwork. Her love for handlooms was well documented with chanderi backs niftily placed on backs of her fitted dresses as rap music kept its date with ombre dyeingsalmon pink merging with greys.
Electro rock group Shaair and Funcs lead singer, model and actress Monica Dogra knows how to groove in a leather lehenga with copper detailing, and thats just what she did as Kanika Salujas showstopper. The label known for its love for spikes, rivets and gold, this time pursued corseted gowns, capacious shoulders, reflective mirror work, peek-a-boo shoulders, pleated gowns, as fit and flare played itself out along with parrot green gowns.
