Shantanu and Nikhil’s line of winter wear is high on cable-knits that enhance body contours

If every winter women have stolen the show in the fashion arena, it’s now time for men to hit back with stylish winter wardrobes. “Gone are the days when women dressed with élan and men kept it casual. Today, they can give any woman a run for her stilettos,” says Bangalore designer Manoviraj Khosla.

Designer Nikhil Mehra believes winter is a great time for men to experiment with the layered look. So, they can put together a look that’s complete with a shirt, cardigan, velvet jacket, checked pants and accessories like hats, caps and brooches. Says designer Ashish Soni: “The trick lies in interesting details on jackets, shirts and trousers.”

He’s Got the Look

“The looks this season are super chilled out — military, dandy and careless cool,” says Khosla. Deep strong colours, well-tailored sharp jackets in textured fabrics are in.

According to menswear designer Rajvi Mohan, this winter men have the luxury of playing with volume and silhouettes in shirts, cardigans and jackets. Designers Shantanu and Nikhil Mehra’s collection is high on cable-knit cardigans and sweaters in solid colours. “We have played with cable-knits that create volume with precision-fit that enhances the contours of the body,” says Nikhil.

Rahul Khanna of Cue recommends low-crotch trousers in wool blends worn with ankle boots. “The idea is to mix the formal with an informal look,” says Khanna. “Trousers can be worn wide or tapered while jackets can be short — like bomber jackets or three-fourth of the normal length,” says Mohan.

Manoviraj Khosla plays with the season’s colour palette of dark hues like black and shades of grey

Another hot look this season is military-inspired with piping, metallic buttons, velvet and suede appliqué along with leather trims on jackets. Khosla adds that printed jackets and those with trims on the lapels are wardrobe must-haves.

According to Khanna, formally cut, down jackets are perfect for casual wear. He also adds bandhgalas to winter must-have lists along with mix-tweed trousers and leather jackets. Shirts can be worn slightly longer to create a feel of layering.

For designer Nida Mahmood velvet jackets or understated ones with velvet lapels will add zing to any wardrobe. This winter men are dressing more formally with trousers or jeans tucked into boots. “It’s the only way to wear boots this season,” says Mahmood.

The Hues of Winter

Accessories like hats are sure-shot headturners for designer Rajvi Mohan; (above) Ashish Soni is all for detailing his jackets and bandhgalas with metal buttons

Since winter is the time for deep colours — earthy tones of deep brown, dark navy, grey and black tones will rule. “Darker colours like chocolate, black, deep brown and generous doses of matte gold in varying tones will be seen in high-quality textured finished fabrics,” says Soni. Shades of grey — that is, from the lightest ash greys to the darkest charcoals — greens in their entire spectrum and bursts of orange will surface in menswear. “Rust and other autumn colours are prominent,” says Mohan.

Khosla’s staying with dark colours and jewel tones in his collections while Mahmood is exploring a chocolate and caramel story.

Texture and feel

If cashmere and leather have made their way into most designer collections, velvet too is proving to be a favoured fabric. “Velvet jackets have been in demand for a while and this winter their popularity has soared,” says Soni.

Flannel, felt, cashmere and softer fabrics like silk-cashmere blends are being used to design jackets and bandhgalas embellished with metal buttons and velvet appliqués.

God is in the Detail

When it comes to accessories, scarves are back with a bang for the season, says Khosla. And hold your breath, brooches for men are most certainly the way to go. “You can wear them with shirts, scarves, sweaters and even jackets and ties to up the style quotient,” says Mahmood.

It’s time to turn your attention to headgear and think along the lines of hats, flat caps, fur-lined caps and scarves. “Vibrant colours are vital this season as well as accessories like hats and scarves,” says Mohan. According to designer Nikhil Mehra men can also carry a leather saddle bag to complete the winter look.