Reported By:
| Edited By: |Source: DNA |Updated: Sep 23, 2015, 07:08 PM IST
Leandra D’Souza reports on Rocky S’ 2006 Spring-Summer collection from the Milan Fashion Week
Plastic sheets ripped apart to reveal a smoothened ramp. Lights dimmed to the omnipotent cry of Indian music. All eyes turned towards the suspended block-letters - 'Rocky S'. Buyers, collectors and fashion aficionados held their breath at the inauguration of the Milan Fashion Week on Saturday as the Indian designer presented his 2006 Spring-Summer collection.
A parade of iridescent colours flashed forth as his 'Kamasutra Girls' flaunted their garments. But unlike most fashion connoisseurs who are overfed with chunks of ornamented designs, the crowd was satiated with craftily blended Indian elements into contemporary Western outfits.
From brocade work daintily slipped on to necklines, crumpled minis adorned with rich bands of zari work to authentic Rajasthani silver thrown over vibrant tops, the collection seemed to get bolder with every design flaunted onto the ramp.
The colours, too, got louder - more garish and edgy. "Rocky S. has been more commercial than other Indian designers. He has the element of glamour enmeshed with wearable and sellable designs," explains Andrea Bonardi, secretary general of the Indo-Italian Chamber of Commerce.
However, select pieces of his prêt-a-porter collection did appear a tad 'safe', according to Valentina Quattrochi, stylist and journalist for Top Girl. "The forms are intrinsically classic and not very innovative. While there is a touch of the occident, there aren't any designs that stand out."
Angela Chiaralenti, a special guest at the show, defends this view: "If a designer can successfully penetrate a market with works strongly characteristic of his country, then he is rendered successful. Rocky S. seems to have manoeuvred in this direction."
While he is still reeling from the aftermath of his first-ever show in Milan, Rocky says that he "never wanted to overpower the clothes with Indian influences". But whether his clean-cut yet flamboyant wear attracts the fancy of international buyers over the Milan Fashion Week still remains a conundrum, one that will determine his return to the ramps at this side of the fashion world.
