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Back to the future |
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By: Shweta Shiware |
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Date:
2008-09-26 |
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Place: Mumbai |
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life in a ghagra: Models wearing different versions of ghagras at JJ Valaya's show | Show: JJ Valaya
On: September 17, 9 pm
At: The lawns, Grand Hyatt, Vakola
Front row Attendance: Industrialist Raja Dhody, actor Shabana Azmi, shooter Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore
Wouldn't it be fun to belong to a kingdom where clothing acts as gender-bender, with both, men and women strutting around in ghagras?
Designer JJ Valaya, who showcased a collection titled, Kingdom of Valaya, masterminded the hypothetical flight of fancy, on a red, vinyl ramp where male models walked wearing floor-sweeping Dracula-style robes, and women strutted in Palazzo pants and fitted jackets.
Bare-chested modern warriors in ghagras accessorised by cowboy belts with kirpans strung on, marched to the thundering beats of Jodhaa Akbar's theme song, ushering in a never-ending round of ghagras, each testing the creative utility of Swarovski crystals, as decorations went from minimal to opulent.
JJ, who is a regular attendant at Delhi's fashion week, decided to take the liberty of showcasing a few garments from his last collection, probably assuming that it would be a first viewing for the Mumbai media. But with the concept of Couture Week breaking free of seasonal trends and buyer shackles, should we be complaining?
Show: Ashish N Soni
On: September 17, 7 pm
At: The lawns, Grand Hyatt, Vakola
Front row Attendance: Choreographer Marc Robinson, actor Suchitra Pillai, socialites Queenie Dhody and Prerna Goel, shooter Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, and cricketer Zaheer Khan
Those of you who whine, "how different can men's clothing get?", would have to find something else to say if you had attended Ashish's Couture Week showing. Punching convention in the jaw, stretching permissible limits of practicality, the Delhi designer presented a collection crafted in ivory and black. Some of it was way too impractical, like the Nalki and bead-embroidered cashmere sherwani, that had a cowl back instead of a cowl neck.
Almost as if remembering Raj Kapoor's ankle-cropped pants, Ashish dressed male models in skinny pants ending high enough to give us a peep of poppy and canary yellow socks.
The cashmere sherwanis in basket weave, some of them embellished with pearl embroidery in the shape of snowflakes, would make for interesting bridal menswear. Sharp cuts, new age vision, and seamless finishing defined the collection. There were a few pieces for women, but we say, let's talk about men only, for once!
We loved: A modal thigh-high sherwani that Ashish chose to keep bare, or so we thought, until the model turned to reveal a fully sequined back.
The choreography was interesting, hypnotic even, as models wove in and out around circular installations, the model who had just walked in, followed by all those who'd walked before him.
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