Not only the vain, but most urban gentlemen would agree when we say, clothes maketh a man. That’s what Mumbai-based designer, Kunal Anil Tanna also kept in mind while designing his pieces for his new collection, that might be straight up the alley of well-dressed men. The collection called The Dark Portrait happens to be inspired by Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray. When the line is inspired by one of the most famous narcissists of the classics, self-indulgence would be the keyword to define it. “I have attempted to incorporate elements of Gothic architecture and literature that features in this Oscar Wilde classic. Dorian Gray was quite an evolved character when it comes to how a man should look,” says the designer who topped his class for menswear designs during his graduation stint at National Institute of Fashion Technology, Mumbai.
Layered story
When you look at the ensembles from his latest collection, the first thing that you notice is how well-structured and multi-layered they are. “Just as the portrait of Dorian Gray started disintegrating towards the latter half of the narrative, that has influenced the rough texture of the outfits. That is further enhanced by the patchworks in the garments,” says Kunal, who has recently designed for A-list celebrities like Varun Dhawan, Siddharth Malhotra, and Shahid Kapoor.
Colour coded
The colour palette stays close to the ones that have classically featured in Victorian-Gothic literature like grey, dark blue, ox-blood and burnt ochre. However, the designer with a flagship store in Mumbai deliberately stays away from black. The label is defined by the designer as “Indo-Chic,” and one can shop for different lengths of jackets, tunic shirts which are textured and pleated and trousers in different shades of blues and beiges. Kunal enjoys a steady clientele in Hyderabad, who place their orders via his Facebook and Instagram pages.
Ensembles for Rs. 32,500 onwards
Details: www.facebook.com/kunalaniltanna/