Flashback

Rajesh Pratap Singh: Rock took centrestage at the runway when guitarist Chintan Kalra of Parikrama walked out in washed out denims,generously loaded in chains,leading the musician brigade. Singh gave a chic twist to the rocker’s uniform,using the traditional block printing technique ajrak on jumpsuits,slim fit jackets with shorter lapels and crushed cargo jodhpuris. Over 10 musicians from Bandish,Half Step Down,360 Degrees,Parikrama and Midival Punditz were on the ramp. Taking a shy turn in men’s suits were a slew of female models. “I think women look great in men’s clothes. There is a certain percentage of men in India who emulate Brad Pitt,this is for them,”said Singh. Making a jump from the DJ console to the catwalk was Midival Punditz frontman Gaurav Raina (a regular at fashion weeks,he puts together the music for top designers) who ended the show,taking a bow with Singh,who ducked out for the briefest time.

Wendell Rodricks and Sanchita Ajjampur: Goa-based Wendell Rodricks who made his debut as a menswear designer sent out his boys in a gender-bending collection,kitted in floor-length sherwanis,shiny skinny pants,tunic-length shirts and the knock-out look — model Lalit Tehlan walked out in a black V-cut vest,embracing his feminine side. Flamenco-friendly colour red and black dominated trousers and shirts,keeping in with the theme Tango Argentina. “The collection is a mix of masculine and feminine and the shirts can be bought by women as well,” said Rodricks. Ajjampur,on her part,cranked out a slouchy,relaxed collection — racerback tees,bomber jackets,bluish boiler suits paired with tan sandals. “It’s for the urban,metropolitan male and has a relaxed casual feel,” said Ajjampur.

Ankita and Anjana Bhargav: Ankita and Anjana Bhargav’s collection was all about drop crotch pants dropped even lower. “These are drop-drop-drop crotch pants,” said Anjana Bhargav of her zouaves cut pants. Their collection — minimal luxe — played with soft gauze cottons,hand crushed silks and pashmina weave and tussar combinations. With layers abundant,ANKY provides texture and depth to street wear. But can this really be worn on the streets? “This is what we expect fashion-savvy people to wear,” said Ankita.

Manoviraj Khosla : He played with bold pinks,yellow and blue,colours reminiscent of Escada in the late 1990s,with emphasis on eye-popping piping. Here was a new take on the old suit: Zegna met Armani,but Khosla’s took it a few steps further. For one,the pants were a lot more tapered and fitted and then there was the marriage of Bollywood with fashion. Kunal Kapoor,the showstopper,walked the ramp and confessed,“I’d love to walk with Madhuri Dixit,she’s the ultimate woman.” And for the finale cricketers Nikhil Chopra and Sanjay Manjrekar sported clean-cut suits,and later undressed to reveal the Airtel Champion’s League jerseys.