FASHION’S ULTIMATE SHOWMAN – ROHIT BAL

Indian Cinema’s once-upon-a-time Showman – Subhash Ghai faded out and is no more successful in pulling in the audience for his movie but Indian fashion’s ultimate showman – Rohit Bal weaves his magic and cast his spell every time.

Rohit Bal’s shows are hypnotic. Their grandeur, their hype and the mad rush to watch his show somehow makes his fashion shows something more than a presentation of garments. They also pack in drama, element of surprise and a great deal of entertainment. At the Bal’s Grand Finale show for Van Heusen India Men’s Week 2010 I witnessed women who would otherwise be shocked out of their wits to see two male models enticing each other were clapping and laughing. It seems Gudda can get away with anything.

Coming back to the show and the clothes, well they were typically Rohit Bal – OTT but in a nice way, Lotuses blooming all over in form of embellishments, ornate yet not loud and dramatic yet wearable. The use of velvet, 3D embroidery in kitsch colours on trousers, brocade jackets and quilted ones worn with Kutch(y) tops and Jodhpurs and elaborate sherwanis with Gaucho pants and Aladdin pants made the collection a vibrant one even though the palette were monochromatic black and ivory. Seeing a Rohit bal Grand Finale is almost like taking a trip to a Costume Gallery. However I can’t ignore the fact that innovations are always unique in Bal’s collection. It was here that I saw inverse pleats and accordion pleats on Jodhpur breeches, shredded pink stain trims on the shoulders of black velvet jackets and embroidered epaulettes too.John Abraham dressed in a sheer tee with Bal’s signature lotus motif and black jodhpurs left the women gaping and then Gudda took the bow in his inimitable style, dancing down the ramp with John and his band of boys.