Day 1 opens with punch of energy

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With the din of roaring bikes, copters and jeeps in the backdrop, the first day of Van Heusen India Men’s Week (VHIMW) 2011 opened with punch of energy. The diligent FDCI president, Sunil Sethi, who sported a fancy waist-coat by Kolkata-based designer duo Dev R. Nil,

along with the 17 participating designers kick-started the three-day long men’s carnival at the Grand Hotel in the capital.
From boys to blokes, it seemed that the “Action Men” of designer Arjun Khanna managed to capture the undivided attention of all.
The opening show by this Mumbai-based designer was a perfect start to the third edition of VHIMW. His fall/winter collection established that he no doubt is the “daddy cool” of menswear segment in India.
From clothes to accessories to props, everything about his show had a manly touch, and thank God for that because after a prolonged reign of heterosexual men, someone finally thought of resurrecting the classic men in fine-tailored suits and sharp outfits.
At Arjun’s show, the male models walked in comfy pleated dhoti pants with leather pockets, stripped slim-fit pants, checkered trousers paired with leather elbow-patched coats, kurtas and rugged leather jackets.
The audience couldn’t have asked for more as hunky model Kabir Singh gave a perfect portrayal of the uber-cool guy in stylish harem pant paired teamed with a brown leather waist-coat and a military beret cap with braided hair.
Arjun’s signature “AK” motif and badges on leather boots, bags and blazers gave a bespoke feel to his collection. Speaking about his “Action men” collection, designer Arjun candidly admitted that it was his attempt to tell a story of fictional action men like Robin, Batman and many more. He said, “The usage of vintage elements mixed with fabrics like wool, linen, and leather to bring out an elegant collection was my way of telling a story through my clothes. This was actually a spoof on action men in sartorial manner.”
Next in the row was couturier king Tarun Tahiliani’s “Democrazy” collection for modern men, who love their space and are born to be free. He used a subtle colour palette of beige, browns, roans, and off-whites in creating structured jackets, waist-coats blazers and tunics for men.
The collection was churned out of rich tussar silk, cotton linens, wool amalgamated with fine voiles (a kind of sheer fabric).
His signature drapes and selective usage of traditional techniques in the outfits gave a soothing Indian flavour to his contemporary menswear. However, the special highlight of Tarun’s show was the folk Rajasthani Samandar Manganiar singers, who gave a high-energy performance to liven up the mood.