Rose-Tinted Dream: Showman Rohit Bal enthrals with a stunning finale

As soon as she hit the first note, male models emerged from the balcony of the tomb in Mughal jamas, showering rose petals and sprinkling rose water at the audience. Titled
“Gulbagh”, the collection, inspired by the Kashmir valley and its many Mughal gardens, lived up to the sama that the designer had created. Off-white and gold — Bal’s favourite colours —  found ample space as models sashayed down the ramp in lehengas paired with peplum blouses. The thread embroidery on the white outfits left a lasting impression as did the embroidered lotuses that made several appearances on the garments, along with red roses on velvet jootis. Bal used fabrics such as chanderi, mulmul, matka silk, velvet as well as brocade. Saris paired with quilted jackets with roses embroidered on them as well as long jackets walked the runway as Mudgal sang Tu toh humaara yaar hai.

A change of song meant a change in colour palette and as Ishq ki iptida hung in the air, the subtle off-whites and golds gave way to brighter hues. Multi-coloured striped lehengas with kedia cut blouses walked the ramp, as did quilted lehengas. Wild roses, peonies, chrysanthemums and lotuses grew wild all over the collection. Maang tikas were replaced with roses; the models wore them in their hair and the men too found roses tucked in their colourful pagdis. Bal added a burst of colour with a men’s range comprising silk sherwanis in bright shades such as purple, green, yellow and pink, paired with churidars and jodhpurs as well as sashes. This segment added a Rajputana touch to the range. It wasn’t a prêt line, nor did it follow the season-specific aspect as red, bridal lehanegas too walked the ramp to Main hosh mein hun toh tera hoon. But then again, it’s Bal and it’s bound to be opulent and larger-than-life. He got old friend and former model Arjun Rampal to end the show, who was greeted with hoots and whistles. Dressed in a black velvet bandhgala with a black rose on it and Jodhpurs, Rampal looked overwhelmed in the foreground of the lit up tomb and the majestic Qutab Minar.

Ninety garments and five qawwalis later, Bal walked the runway and did his usual jig. It was a finale unlike any other we’ve seen in a long time; and it will be a task to top this one. The best bit about the show, however, was that irrespective of the surreal, spiritual atmosphere, the clothes remained the true stars. And we found ourselves a new haunt, the mystical Quli Khan Tomb