Simplicity in white...patriotic and how...psychedelic yet frivolous...Bollywoodish and charismatic...vintage and classy...
Day 2 at the Van Heusen India Mens Week can be summed up in the above mentioned words. While Cue by Rohit Gandhi and Rahul Khanna was the undisputed s

howstealer of the day, mother-daughter team of Anjana and Ankita Bhargav impressed all by their kurta-inspired shirts and shifting pockets to unexpected places. Soft gauze cottons, hand crushed silks and pashmina weave tussar helped them narrate their style story in white.
Sharing the show with them was Vijay Arora, whose collection was an “ode to the Indian Armed Forces” on the occasion of the 63rd year of Independence. Vijay liberally used khaki, olive and chocolate to create a distressed look with flashes of military insignia. The camouflage-print hot pants though definitely asked for a perfect faux pas recipe when the models walked with their undies peeping out making for a disgusting sight. Anyway cargo pants, Jodhpur jeans, achkans with faux leather patches failed to create a fashionised avatar of the revered uniform.
Moving on with the “showmanship”, next to display his “quirky” designs was Manoviraj Khosla, who sent out beefy men in shocking greens, oranges, pinks, blues to sashay down the fluorescent green ramp. If Vijay Arora is a master at coming up with “interesting” themes, you have to give it to Manoviraj for his gifted talent of playing up (read abusing) with colours, which were splattered on shorts, man-capris, zipper jackets and suits in linen, silk, suede, velvet and cotton silk. But his maroon Kalamkari Nehru jacket deserves a special mention.
Rang De Basanti dude Kunal Kapoor made a grand entry in a black silk Nehru jacket and suede slippers and left young lasses gasping for breath. Cricketers Nikhil Chopra and Sanjay Manjrekar too walked hand-in-hand with the designer and took their final bow.
Now it was time for the Karan Johar-esque view of the uber city of New York. Designer duo Karan Johar and Varun Bahl showed up with a line that smelled every bit of the Big Apple.
From bohemian to classic, they had everything in their cache. And if you thought that wherever KJo goes, Bollywood trails, then you are mistaken because no Khan or Kapoor were roped in to close their show. Instead KJo, who was a showstopper in himself in his black suit and chic glasses, with Varun in tow walked down the runway and blowed kisses to his friends in the front row.
Cue by Rohit Gandhi and Rahul Khanna has always maintained a reputation of being one of the labels that one can always look up to for that perfect fit. The stalwarts of finish this time presented a contemporary line that drew snatches from the stylish past of a traveller’s life and jaunts.
Titled “Travelogue”, the line included an attractive range of jackets, capris, T-shirts and high-neck kurtas in metallics, muted shades like greys, washed whites, off-whites. While the crotches dropped low, the hems of the trousers went above the ankle. Stylish handbags were brought in to complete the sartorial requirements of a modern day traveller.