Open Season

Nitin Bal’s show was first,and if his lengthy 10-point presentation left you with a bit of a headache,then you had only the earnestness of the young man to blame. “My collection,called ‘Conditions Apply II’,speaks of the negativity that comes from urban life. What I am advocating is basically a simple way of life,” he said. Even if that sounded slightly pretentious,the clothes more than made up for it. When the models came on stage,each with an assortment of headgear made from telephones,wires and parts of motherboards,it was the clear,unfussy collection that held center stage.

Playing on a stringent colour palette of grey,black and white,the silhouettes bordered on the severely structured with a play on asymmetry and pleating. We loved his version of the jumpsuit which ended in a more zoave-esque fit,and his bullet belts.

Samant Chauhan played up the theme of sustainable living with dresses and jackets on Bhagalpuri. The Anarkali theme found resonance in the silhouette of the jackets,both for men and women,while cigarette pants,crushed and ruched dresses formed the norm. His colour palette too bordered on the colour of the natural silk with only a hint of dye in some of the outfits.

Even if economic woes rule the mood,the move back to Intercontinental Eros,Nehru Place,seem a marked improvement from Pragati Maidan,the previous venue of this fashion week. The poolside has been done up with an abbreviated ramp as a venue for some off-beat shows and the main show areas are spread over two floors. The opening show of the day saw only designers and a smattering of socialites in the audience,with two,or maybe three,buyers. A sign of times to come? For fashion’s sake,hopefully,day two will be better.