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Men in colour PACESETTER Jasmeet K. Shan Centrespread Bling it
on
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Men in colour
Travel back in time and you find androgyny is not new to fashion. The Anarkalis were as much a part of men's wardrobe as women's in the era of Mughal rulers. Dhoti was a staple dress code of men and women in different parts of the country — mekhla chadhar of North East or chadra in Punjab. And if women carried a dupatta, men used a safa. Before blue became the unannounced official colour for men, at least in India, men had more wardrobe options than their Western counterparts. In fact, most of the present dressing-up rules are borrowed from the West. So why call androgyny an innovation when Rohit Bal sends a model in a long, A-line, beautifully embroidered and layered kurta on the ramp this season or when Arjun Saluja add pleats to dhotis. It's experimentation with what had once existed in India, even better, it is improvisation that has spiced up the men's fashion platter. Brighter picture
Bright colours, prints, patterns, motifs are the garnishing on menswear salver. For instance, Raghavendra Rathore, a loyalist of royal fashion, presented a coral, double-breasted suit and a bright pink kurta, teamed with an equally bright purple jacket at India Bridal Fashion Week. He was appearing at a fashion week after a gap of four years. He cites his reason for the colour picks, "For a while, we have stuck to designs that were very English, stately and classy. This collection was an attempt to replace just the English part of it with complete Indianness. Hence pop colour for men as well." If not red suit as a whole, the trousers, he insists was a gamble well played, it stimulated men to try something out-of-the-box. Raghavendra isn't the only one to have dabbled with pop colours, several other designers, too, have jumped on the bandwagon this season.
Troy Costa, one of the few designers in India dedicated to the cause of reinventing menswear, used paisley and floral prints on an overcoat that was teamed with an orange shirt at the Lakme Fashion Week (LFW). "I brought home the international colour palette comprising orange and Monaco blue. It is unfortunate that designers in India don't make an effort to follow international patterns, because if we did that we would be having more interesting ensembles," says the designer, who was among the handful to present men's collection at LFW. Designer sisters, Barkha and Sonzal, took the leap and introduced men to neon palette and quirky prints. Aditya Roy Kapoor, their show stopper at the LFW, walked the ramp in Irish green trousers and a blazer that had angels printed on it. The sisters firmly believe, "It's time that men leave the usual blacks and greys and take to colours. They should use a variety of prints that we have only limited to women wear. If internationally, men can experiment with colours, why can't men in India, when we have a history suggesting that men wore as much colours as women," argues Sonzal. A cut above
There was a time when Govinda flaunted yellow jeans, Salman Khan, if ever wore a shirt, it had floral prints. But it was considered more of frivolity than fashion. Troy tells why, "They were never structured well. Design has to complement colour to transform a collection into trend." If Bollywood had once equated colour with fashion, Hollywood cropped the women's skirt to make it a men's item. The hemline ended on the thighs, which also became a sign of masculinity and virility. There are ample examples from Gerald Butler in 300, Brad Pitt in Troy, Russell Crow in Gladiator but the skirt didn't make it to any film set in the present. For now, a short skirt seems too futuristic an idea but fluid silhouettes can be a reality. In tandem with the theme of the collection, Draupadi, Anju Modi’s designs for men were flowing. She added pleats and kalis to the palazzo pants. Defending her out-of-the-box collection, she says, "In a collection like Draupadi, I couldn't have created men trousers or anything with a Western cut." Yet she didn't want her creations to represent the attire of that era. So she picked up elements of androgynous fashion of that age. That also makes Modi a part of the unofficial club comprising Arjun Saluja and James Ferreira who dare men to wear the unbifurcated garment. Another designer, at the LFW, Rajat Suri not just added length to the men's coat, also made it multi-breasted defying the double-breasted design norm. Just as Bollywood has set off fashion trends, we hope, this time too, Aamir-Khan, in-the-skirt, might too change it all, when men will not shy away from wearing one. Why reserve lungis only for the lungi dance? What stops men to give equal priority to comfort and style?
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PACESETTER Jasmeet K. Shan
A toddlers’ dance class is in progress. As expected, there is lot of noise and fun but, surprisingly, no chaos. The petite teacher, who herself is childlike, handles the kids deftly. Twentysix-year-old Jasmeet K. Shan, who is the only licensed and certified zumba trainer in the region, has never had a formal training in dance. Her love for the art and her dedication to it are her only gurus. The self-taught danseuse is adept at a number of dance forms, including cumbia, mambo, flamenco, reggaeton, soca, tango, foxtrot, rock and roll, calypso, zouk, bachata, dandiya, garba, kalbelia, ghoomar. However, her forte is Latin American dance forms (cha, jive, samba, rumba), social dance (salsa, meringue, hustle), belly dance, modern dance etc. She is a state gold champion of Latin American Dance Sport Championship. She started choreographing at 13. In Class VIII, she was already ‘teaching’ her seniors for school functions. But then came a stumbling block. Her enthusiastic pursuit took a toll on her knees and doctors forbade her even to walk. Even those two years were a learning period because that is when she learnt that feet are not the only part of the body needed for dancing; the whole body can dance. Her years in college saw her getting involved in theatre which taught her how expression, stance and even costumes can add more value to a skilful performance. College was also the time when she started earning from dance. However, she never thought about turning it into a profession. After a Masters’ degree in mass communications, Jas dabbled in various jobs but evenings were always reserved for dance, her first love. She had a small studio where she taught. In 2011, she finally plunged wholeheartedly into dance and her institute Dance Dacha was born. Since then she has only grown from strength to strength as has grown her army of dachniks, as she fondly calls her students, who vary from five to 80 years. For Jas, dance is life, as she says, it starts the moment life is created. It is communication, not only with others but also with your self and can be instrumental in overcoming many problems such as stress and depression. Of course, she finds dance the ultimate wellness as well as the fitness tool and that’s what she wants to share with masses and classes. She feels blessed that dance has given her so much. She feels happy when she gives back in some form. Jas and her Dacha members have been regularly holding workshops at orphanages and at the blind school. She also helps in choreography for functions at the blind school. She also holds periodic functions to entertain senior citizens. With more than eight years’ experience of professional choreography, Jas has designed and choreographed many dance sequences. She has also choreographed two Punjabi songs’ video: ‘Woofer’ by Gippy Bajwa and ‘Tappe’ by Sukhinder. She trains people for many events. However, she refuses to train, especially kids, for any TV reality show. For she strongly feels that any form of dance is beautiful and same parameters can’t be applied to each style.
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CENTRESPREAD
Spectacular makeover That is why the little clutch bag is coming in for a big revamp as leading designers have gone back to their drawing boards and are giving a spectacular makeover to this hand-held accessory. The kitschy and craftily designed clutches are having their moment on the ramps of the world with the singular aim of amping up simple dresses with their razzle and dazzle. Fashion gurus across the board ranging from Dolce & Gabbana, Marc Jacobs, Alexander McQueen and labels like Gucci, Prada, Givenchy, Versace and others profess that a clutch adds a personalised touch to a woman’s outfit and there are several shapes, sizes and styles to choose from. Even Indian designers are busy making the clutch a wardrobe essential of every fashionista. Names like Ritu Kumar, Suneet Varma, J.J. Valaya and many more are launching designer clutches. Hollywood divas like Sarah Jessica Parker and Jennifer Lopez recently flaunted the Ritz Fizz and Starburst clutches at a New York fashion event. These are a part of the Suneet Varma for Judith Leiber clutches collection. Decorative bags Clutches have come a long way from the time when they first came into existence during England’s Victorian era as decorative bags carried by ‘propah’ ladies who stored their pretty little kerchiefs and smelling salts. Though after some years, the clutches went out of fashion, these were again revived after World War II as a utility item for women, which was easy to ‘clutch’ and carry instead of a big handbag. It was only a couple of decades ago that clutches were transformed into a fashion accessory. The little ‘hand’ bag was re-invented by leading designers in the 1990s in myriad styles and sizes and became a red carpet essential and an instant head-turner. Of late, British luxury fashion house Burberry Prorsum has been re-inventing the way women carry the clutch. Instead of holding it in their hand Burberry Prorsum had their models carrying scrunched up clutch bags. Today there are different types and designs of clutch bags available, each made to complement a form of attire. These can be short, long, flat, round and in many more varied styles to choose from. And these are a hot favourite number with celebrities. It is not uncommon to see divas like Britney Spears, Victoria Beckham, Cameron Diaz, Kate Moss, Lindsay Lohan and a host of others flaunting a clutch. Even the Duchess of Cambridge is a big fan of the clutch and wore a chocolate velvet bag to a recent event. And Bollywood beauties are not far behind with Priyanka Chopra and Sonam Kapoor leading the clutch brigade. Versatile accessory Designers have been making the clutch a more versatile accessory by adding a chain strap with the option of slinging it on the shoulder. Other twists and changes include the envelope-style clutch made famous by French fashion house Hermes, the foldover clutch by Roberto Cavalli that can be tucked or folded, the Minaudiere, which is an ornamental clutch for cosmetics and jewellery and has been perfected by a host of fashion houses like Jimmy Choo, Oscar de La Renta, Rene Caovilla, Versace, Givenchy and a host of others. Clutches have also been treated to a dose of extreme fashions by designers who have launched many delightfully whimsical bags. Chanel recently came out with a clutch designed like the building blocks of a Lego costing a mind-blowing `A35,370 (Rs 5.37 lakh), Gucci brought out the transparent Aristographic Perspex clutches at $1,200 (Rs 72,000) a piece British handbag designer Estefania Cort`E9s Harker launched the glitter-coated animal-shaped clutches and American designer Judith Leiber’s cocktail-inspired clutches are a rage as these come bejewelled with several tropical martinis, making them both eye-catching and fun. Gone are the days when ladies plonked everything in a shoulder bag and lugged it around as a day time accessory and also as an evening wear. Today the dainty clutch is fast replacing the handbag both as daytime prop and the accessory for that perfect evening look....the hottest arm candy that a girl can flaunt.
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IF
the ongoing winter fashion collections are a barometer of things to come, it
appears that the world’s leading designers are reacting to the charge that a
certain boredom has set into the haute couture scene. That’s why they are
busy reinventing not just fashion but accessories as well. Things like
patchwork paisley, crocket and beads are being reincarnated. So are loose
shirts, tweeds and floral dresses. The accessories department is throwing up
some pleasant surprises. Scarves are back in vogue. So are tiepins, cufflinks,
pointy shoes and shiny buckle belts. But one accessory that has garnered
instant celebrity following is the clutch bag. Designers have realised that
stylishly dressed women are no longer happy carrying the same shoulder bag they
drag around everyday. What they are looking for is a tasteful little purse in
which they can store their keys, credit cards and lipstick.
Miu Miu Matelasse
Fold Leather Clutch
Hermes Lydie Ostrich Leather Clutch
YSL Belle De Jour Fucshia
Patent Leather Clutch
Prada Studded Clutch
Bottega Veneta
Gold-Tone Clutch
Valentino Silk-Georgette
Rosette Clutch
Rene Caovilla’s
Swarovski Crystal Clutch
Chanel Structured Clutch
Roberto Cavali Python Fluoro Yellow Clutch
Gucci Metallic Leather Clutch
Jimmy Choo Candy Black
Clutch With Gold Stars
Marc Jacobs Baroque Convertible Clutch
Versace Embroidered Box Clutch
Givenchy Python Obsedia Minaudière
Moschino Embellished
Satin-Twill Clutch
Dolce & Gabbana Flowery Clutch
Oscar De La Renta Goa
Bead-Embellished Clutch
Alexander McQueen Swarovski Skull Clutch
Burberry Prorsum
Studded Leather Clutch
Giorgio Armani Suede & Lace Clutch
EYE ON THE SKY
GOLDEN MUSIC
RULER OF THE WAVES
DEEPIKA’S PASSION
FOR FASHION
DJ ON THE GO
UPRIGHT TRAVELLER
BOTTLED UP ART
GAME OF MEGABUCKS
THESE BOOTS ARE
MADE FOR STYLE
BMW IN A BAG
TIMELESS COLLECTION