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| A model walks the ramp in a Narendra Kumar creation; (below) a model sports an ensemble by Krishna Mehta |
They undoubtedly form a much-neglected segment when it comes to designer wear in the city. So an exclusive line of men’s wear from a leading lifestyle store does come as a piece of good news, especially when timed just before the festive season takes off. And when the creators of the line comprise design biggies like Rohit Bal, Krishna Mehta, Narendra Kumar, and Shobna and Vijay Arora, men in Calcutta truly have reason to rejoice.
Titled Mensline, the collection was launched at the multi-label store Prana at 13/3, Ballygunge Circular Road on Thursday. The line also comprises collections by the likes of Priyanka Thakur, Vandana Bagla, Mayank Modi, Seyam, Rajat Tangri, M&N, Natasha, Medhavani Khaitan, 99 Grams, Gaurab and Rajvi Mohan. The collection will be exhibited till July 30.
“A lot of men from Calcutta come to my store in Mumbai and buy my creations. I have noticed that Calcutta men shop for designer wear in Delhi and Mumbai. So I think it is a good idea to make more and more designer wear available to them in their own city. With this collection I will be testing waters there and I hope it works well,” designer Krishna Mehta told GoodLife from Mumbai.
Krishna’s line boasts evening shirts that can be “dressed up or dressed down depending on the occasion”. There are solid linen shirts with surface texturing and kurtas with different kinds of embroidery. “The look is very classic, not at all trendy,” says Krishna Mehta.
Narendra Kumar presents a line titled Harmony on the ambience created by different kinds of music. The collection is divided into two parts. While one comprises cotton shirts in stripes and fresh colours, the other consists of shirts in prints on dark base in a mix of cotton and satin.
Rohit Bal’s collection uses summer fabrics like voile, cotton and linen in various hues, ranging from pastels to earthy tones like beige and browns, with a dash of indigo. The designs are highlighted using printing, quilting and embroidery.
Mayank Modi presents a vibrant line of printed shirts in linen and cotton with the palette comprising greens, pinks, maroons, white and black.
The men’s wear array in general comprises smart casuals and formals. It mainly uses linens and cottons, keeping the humid Calcutta monsoon in mind. The design mood, however, varies in each line.
The range starts from Rs 750 and goes up to Rs 5,000.