By IANS,
New Delhi : Inspired by the golden boys and entertainers of the 1940s and 1950s a la American actor Dean Martin, debutante fashion designer Rajvi Mohan’s men-centric collection – Rat Pack Nirvana – in desi style – set the stage for the inaugural spring-summer edition of the Delhi Fashion Week (DFW) here Tuesday.
The Rat Pack was a group of popular entertainers like Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr and others who appeared together on stage and in American films half a century ago. Mohan’s collection was an Indian take on their classical and sophisticated clothing that defined menswear in their era.
“This collection is all about the journey of these men through India. I imagined how exactly they would have dressed up if they had come to India,” Mohan told IANS after her show.
The collection offered an eclectic mix of cuts and designs with stylish jackets adorned by thin lapels, jackets with shawl collars, kurtas and full suits, some teamed with bermudas. Though very formal in style, her clothes created a look which was elegantly dishevelled, relaxed and yet luxurious.
The designer gave an edge to her collection with monotone classic neutral colours of white, cream, beige, blue and grey and a dash of vibrancy using highlights of fluorescent hues in kesar, wild lime, spice red, french blue.
“I have used all happy colours because it is all about spring and summer. While the neutral colours depicted the style of the 1940s and 1950s, the vibrant ones depicted our colourful India,” said Mohan.
“Men in India should wear more colours because they look good on men,” she added.
The necks had an interesting twist with pleats that are worked in different ways – like a fan around the neck. Layering was used to create shimmers of colour, where two solid colours were interspersed to create an altogether new tone. There were also criss-crossed knee-length and waist length kurtas that suggested the angarakha look.
Despite a few sherwanis in her collection, bling and embroidery was minimalist. “This is my personal style. You will always find understated bling and embroidery in my work,” averred Mohan.
Though almost all her 64 outfits were showcased by male models, there was just one female model who sashayed across the ramp in Mohan’s menswear. “That was to show that a woman can also wear a man’s clothes,” the designer said.
Her range is priced at Rs.1,800 for a shirt and goes higher to cater to the high-end prêt clothing buyers.