Indian towel finds place in high fashion

In a quick wrap of what 4 designers showed on day 3 of India Mens Week, Shweta Shiware tells you what worked, didn't, and how you can interpret ramp shows for the latest trends

Indian towel finds place in high fashion

In a quick wrap of what 4 designers showed on day 3 of India Mens Week, Shweta Shiware tells you what worked, didn't, and how you can interpret ramp shows for the latest trends

Rajesh Pratap Singh
Takeaway trend: Instead of investing in a stuffy suit, try this refreshing twist by teaming a light
silk-linen jacket over a crisp white pleated shirt.

It's official. Rajesh Pratap Singh prefers men over women. It was perhaps for the first time in his career that he spent a whole minute taking a bow instead of the blink-and-miss second appearance he has made at previous fashion weeks where he's shown womens wear. This is the Pratap we'd love to get used to.

Bangladesh-born designer Bibi Russell has worked tirelessly to elevate the gamchha (that humble piece of cloth that most Indians wrap around themselves after a shower, or carry on their shoulder to come handy when they want to wipe their hands, a table if they are waiters or beads of sweat off their forehead) to a high fashion garment. The relentless crusader just found a partner, with Pratap, one of India's most sought-after designers, using it as inspiration in a contemporary menswear line.

The ramp was veiled in spiderweb-fragile threads, as the models presented a line robust with imagination. The red-and-white chequered handloom two-button jacket, teamed with a white shirt and cropped linen trousers, was proof that India's rustic tradition can effortlessly make its way to the urban man's wardrobe.

Gaurav Gupta
Takeaway trend: If you have the physique, make the shirt a slim-fit. Find pop colours odd? Pick tees in safe ivory, black and blue, but with deviant prints.

And Gaurav Gupta made us smile. Some designers are born to be designers. It hardly matters if they create clothes for men, women, kids. Or extraterrestrials. To watch them present their craft, is bliss. After Gaurav's show wrapped up, some men in the audience were seen exchanging whispers. We are sure a lot of them have to do with figuring when they can get their hands on this line. "You'll remain the thirst I never want to kill", read the a line on the emid media release written by his friend Navkirat Sodhi, fittingly describing the poetry-in-motion collection. One look at the first garment (a shirt-in-a-shirt, with a second collar sitting where a pocket usually does), and we knew we wanted to see more. And he willingly obliged with a 30-piece range, each with an innovative idea tucked away somewhere. The chair, comb, clock, keys and retro telephone motifs lent a quirky edge that reached a crescendo with raised mosquito wings on the back of a tee. He sucked the stuffiness out of stiff menswear, adding soft pocket cowl details on trousers.

Zubair Kirmani
Takeaway trend: Those of you who have the legs, and age on your side, must experiment with shorts this season. Give the lazy cargo berms that have become Sunday staple dressing, a rest. Pick some in linen or a blend of silk-linen.

This Kashmiri designer connects with geometry. Lines, squares and circles have defined his previous work.

Zubair has a knack of making a garment look simple until you come up close and focus on the texturing, and fabric embossing. Shorts have made a huge comeback, and they found a place in this line too. A few suits interrupted a line of sherwanis (one in cobalt, another in purple!) and shirts. But it's the white-on-white shirts, some carrying multiple layers of sheer silk matched with cotton in tones of ivory, that we think will be a hit with the urban dresser.

Nitin Bal Chauhan
Takeaway trend: This is for the younger guys. Team acid-colour splashed tees with breeches. For that rock-grunge edge, pin on funky badges, sling on a wacky print bag (we loved the piano key sling Nitin used) and suspenders.

Nitin began the series with head-banging beats, instantly building the tempo for Hard Rock Cafu00e9 bartenders, musicians and DJs, graphic artists, copywriters, and even a 16 year-old school lad swimming in rock, punk and grunge influences. Breaking all the rules ever written in the fashion book, Nitin showcased slashed, asymmetrical tees splashed with acid-washed graphics, army shorts, breeches and skinny pants held in place by suspenders, funky skull-and-bone badges and metal chains, giving a rockstar edge to bottoms. It wasn't just another smartly-styled show. It had its fair share of creative moments that will come handy the next time an adventurous dresser goes shopping. The inspiration was perhaps easy for this designer since his disdain for the all things conventional is notorious.

Love Linen
Linen is the next big fabric this season, and that should make a lot of guys smile. It's lightweight, airy and perfect for Indian weather in the next few months. Narendra Kumar used the fabric to create two-toned shirts that will make smart casual wear options.

To view his collection, and read a review, log on to www.mid-day.com/fashion/index.htm