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MAN IN THE MIRROR: Vishesh Bhatt and
Shubham Agarwal getting the DCH cut at Nalini and Yasmin's, Mumbai
of hit movies and runaway trends
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Brands previously
considered formal are venturing into casual wear and introducing innovations
in fabric, colour and cut. While Van Heusen has introduced Silent Storm,
a line in subdued pink and grey, and Corporate Cocktails in purple and
lavender, Louis Philippe is launching Signatures in Silk for those who
like a hint of colour even in formal wear. Which is why it's boom-time
for the big names in menswear. Oxemberg sales have touched Rs 65 crore;
Van Heusen sales have skyrocketed to Rs 100 crore; and Louis Philippe's
turnover is Rs 120 crore. So it isn't surprising that the May 2001 KSA
Technopak and Images study found that the menswear retail market in India
is growing at 6 per cent, with higher growth in the premium segment.
The change isn't limited to the exterior. Far from being downmarket,
grooming classes are all the rage. Says etiquette expert Sabira Merchant:
"I get hundreds of inquiries every month, of which 50 per cent are
from men."
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DIL CHAHTA HAI
OF HIT MOVIES AND RUNAWAY TRENDS
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 If
one had to pick out a single symbol that reflects the changes in
the Indian urban male's style book, it would be the refreshing,
streetsmart look of the heroes of Dil Chahta Hai. Aamir Khan, Akshaye
Khanna and Saif Ali Khan have set a trend that has found clones
in college canteens, nightclubs, movie halls, even in boardrooms.
Here are the basics of the DCH look: a spiffy, sharp haircut, like
that of one of the heroes in the movie; short shirts with slits
in the sides, in orange, purple, bright blue or green; loose-fitting
trousers or bright pyjamas; and sandals.
Literally on the cutting edge of men's style
today are the trio's trendy, close-cropped haircuts, courtesy Juice,
the hair salon run by Adhuna Bhabani, who is married to DCH director
Farhan Akhtar. "The response has been overwhelming," she
says. "Fifty per cent of the men who walk in demand the DCH
look."
The most prominent, inexpensive and easy way
to look in vogue is growing the soul patch or zap that Aamir sports
on his chin. And all that it takes is a new shaving routine. Gaurav
Gupta, a 24-year-old Mumbai doctor, dons one and calls it "mosquito".
The new look is even finding its way to advertisements, such as
the Onida Black ad, which features actor Rajat Kapoor (who incidentally
acted in the movie) with an Aamir-style zap.
The sartorial style that the DCH trio represents
is markedly androgynous. A change largely envisaged by New York-based
designer Arjun Bhasin, who experimented with bright, feminine colours
like lilac and yellow, and designer Aki Narula, who relished the
creative freedom to dress the heroes in two-toned shirts and sheer
shirts as outer swimwear. Fashion stylist Yogendra Tripathi cautions
that the upbeat DCH look may just be a passing fad, but the way
men look now, it seems it will stick around for a while yet.
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Leena Mogre, who runs the Leena Mogre Fitness Academy in Mumbai, also
takes up weekend grooming workshops for corporates. Between lectures on
maintaining manicured hands and tips on matching shirts and ties, Mogre
throws in a half-hour segment on wine appreciation. This covers the basics
of wine drinking such as which wines go with which kind of food, the pace
at which wine should be drunk, and how even the shape of a glass can change
the taste of the wine. Says Mogre: "A lot of Indian men are unaware
that a wine glass is never filled to the brim, and when they go out to
a restaurant some of them actually question the waiter about it ... It
is misconceptions like these that we clear in the wine segment."
At the Sterling Institute of Management Courses and Language Programs
in Mumbai, there are three to five times as many men as women attending
personality development courses. Explains Dharam Bakshi, director of the
institute, "I believe it's because men don't like their social weaknesses
to be exposed, unlike women who are more communicative and can more readily
talk about their drawbacks." This is boosted by the realisation that
a sophisticated personality is an asset in a competitive job market-from
helping pursue customers more effectively to interacting well with overseas
clients. Besides teaching conversation skills, public speaking and stress
management, the course includes modules named personal initiative, positive
mental attitude, and leadership qualities.
The huge demand for such classes can be gauged by the turnout of their
students at the Grasim Mr India personality pageant. When the contest
began in 1994, the organisers received 1,200 entries. Today, the office
is inundated with over 14,000 applications. That only one of them eventually
gets the crown hardly matters. The sheer aspiration and preparation are
enough to render each one of them a "complete man".
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CURRENT
ISSUE NOV 26, 2001
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