Retro gets new avatar on Day 2

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Day 2 of Van Heusen Indian Mens Week 2011 was a mixed bag for the audience. The day started on an upbeat note as designer Rajvi Mohan exhibited the Indian flavours amidst band-baja, totally desi style. Her “Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani” collection was about breezy cotton kurtas, structured achkans paired with cigarette pants, silk sherwanis accentuated with minimal embroidery and crisp linen shirts.
The designer highlighted the collars and cuffs with velvet detailing and endorsed the Indian men. Talking about the collection, she said, “Modern Indian men are not afraid to experiment. To amalgamate the Indian zest with contemporary silhouette was the idea behind designing this collection.”
After Rajvi’s tongue-in-cheek clothing line, next in the row was Kashmiri designer Zubair Kirmani’s menswear collection. The idea was to fuse classic clothing with modern tailoring, and the designer meticulously used shibori in his outfits to bring out the “clean-cut archetype” look alive on the ramp.
Designer Krishna Mehta’s collection was a reminder of the bold retro era in a modern avatar. She designed crinkled kurtas, jackets and shirts and paired them with cropped pants and completed the look with interesting accessories like hats, scarves and bags. About her clothes, she said, “My collection is entirely targeted at the youth, who are not scared of experimenting. I love to make Indian clothes and I think they can be worn in different styles. I used only natural fabrics like cotton, linen and silk to design this collection.”
Designers Ankita and Anjana Bhargav’s “Nowthen” collection explored the intertwined fabrics with a fancier presentation. The mother-daughter duo brought out a refined collection using silk, shibori, suede and pashmina in their bespoke collection. The special highlight was the clever usage of geometrical horn rim glasses and checkered socks that were tied with shoe laces.
The colour palate varied from black, white, grey, off-white and shades of brown. On the other hand, designer Sanchita Ajjampur used an array of colours in her menswear collection and experimented with various combinations. She used bright greens and yellows in her menswear and balanced them with other subtle shades.