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Subdued gasps. Glazed eyeballs that blink at least a couple of times before they near semi-normal focus -- Arjun Khanna's Spring Summer 1997 collection, displayed at Ensemble, Bombay, drew its expected response.

Obviously Arjun (left) -- who has in the last 10 years established himself as a maker of highly wearable, if highly priced garments -- has his thumb firmly on the nation's fashion pulse.

All of which goes to make this 28-year-old one happy designer. He has, like the rest of his contemporaries, focussed on white as the premium colour for the season in 'White Casmir'. His white, though, is trimmed with silver, gold and metallic silken threads. Arjun continues to be inspired by the traditional Mughal look as he experiments with jaal work, floral and paisley motifs and the Kashmiri makhi butta.

'Precious Metals - Kashmir', on the other hand, offers jewel-bright colours, offset by the occasional white... Chudi sleeves and churidars, feminine cuts and flowing lines dominate the collection. While the simplicity of the line is maintained, the finer nuances of form and cut are never overlooked.

The clothes are a heady mix of light, airy and crisp fabric -- mainly organdy. They reveal his sharp sense of detailing and keen eye on the palette, which is very pastel in flavour. Both collections showcase the Arjun Khanna trademark in their exquisite embroidery... Take a look!

Photographs: Dabboo Ratnani
Models: Rakshanda (for White Casmir) and Malaika Arora (for Precious Metals - Kashmir)
Maliaka's hair/make-up: Yatin Deshpande
Malaika's jewellery: Jamini Ahluwalia
Styled at: Arjun Khanna's
Page design: Dominic Xavier

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