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India Reloaded
Photographs by Adil Jain; Text by Shirin Mehta
PUBLISHED: Volume 11, Issue 4, Fourth Quarter 2003
There is no dividing line between sexuality and fashion because, at the end of the day, every single human being uses fashion to look and feel sexy, beautiful, stylish.

He has gone on record maintaining "Sex rules!" His latest menswear line, unabashedly and unapologetically drips sensuality and bends all the rules, refusing to ‘skirt’ gender issues. Yet, the ‘Bad Boy’ of Indian fashion, Rohit Bal, sleeps peacefully at night, discovers Shirin Mehta, over an amble down Mumbai’s rainwashed Marine Drive.

They walked onto the ramp, straight out of an androgynous fantasy. But, this was no dream. This was style reality, couture on a gender rampage. Gorgeous men with bare chests stripped baby-smooth, sindoor in their curling hair, wrapped skirts, intricately embellished lungis, brocades and flowers. Bright red shoes too which prompted many a wolf whistle from the audience rows. Once upon a time, women had barged into the male domain of power shoulders and business suits. Today, designer Rohit Bal, had men gently eased into skirts and loving every minute of it. After all, ‘Gudda’, as his friends call him, had been at it for the last 13 years, since he did menswear for couture store Ensemble’s inaugural show – providing designer shocks as regularly as his intricately-embroidered ghaghras and lehengas.

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