As the sun gracefully descended on May 25, a transformative evening, aptly named the Centennial Gala, stood poised to unravel a symphony of style, paying homage to the legacy of the late Pishe Narayan Rao on what would have been his 120th birth anniversary. PN Rao, the epitome of timeless sartorial ensembles, set the runway ablaze as they marked their centennial year with a new awe-inspiring women’s wear apparel and centennial collection. Seated in the front row, opposite eminent personalities like Ricky Kej, Madhu Natraj, Ramesh Aravind and Arundhati Nag we were mesmerised by the unfettered view of all the edits — Sahariana, Black and Maduve. Although the women’s line stands at the precipice of the unveiling, the latest releases boast meticulously curated ensembles from various categories like casuals, ethnic and party wear for men, as well.
Speaking about what made the brand foray into women’s wear, Ketan Pishe, creative director of the label tells us, “In recent years, we have been observing more women stepping into the corporate world and boardrooms warranting premium business wear. Having built its expertise in bespoke suits for men for 100 years, it was only natural to introduce a women’s wear segment. But this time, we went the extra mile by rolling out casuals, streetwear, tuxedos and ethnic wear for women too.”
The design philosophy of PN Rao begins with the approach of crafting each segment by what each of these collections stand for. While the business wear line connotes power, the casual segment incorporates international trends like oversized and baggy outfits. Pieces from Black are dedicated to red carpet events and the ethnic/wedding wear artfully titled Maduve, which means wedding, is all about intertwining of colours and fabrics from exotic materials like handwoven silk.
Drawing inspiration from the Sahara desert, the men’s casuals collection of 12 pieces, Sahariana, features elements such as large pockets and oversized collars ideal for the summer. Available in beiges, greens and browns, the wool-cotton blend apparel offers jackets, shirts and pants.
Black, which is the tuxedo collection, is also known as the red carpet attire collection fashioned for black tie events. “We have experimented with coloured tuxedos and jacquard tuxedos by marrying international design elements to structured fabrics,” Ketan reveals. The edit currently boasts 10 ensembles for men and two for women.
Crafted from hand woven silk fabrics from Bengaluru and Varanasi, the Maduve edit is a perfect fit for South Indian weddings where men generally prefer dhotis. “Here we have introduced multiple varieties of dhotis that can be worn as trousers,” he shares. One can opt from a range of kurtas, sherwani, bundis and dhotis in solids and prints. While women have two beautiful ensembles offering a sherwani top and a sari underneath it.
“The Centennial Gala, where we previewed the women’s range and the other collections gave us an immense learning experience and going from the feedback from those who attended the event, it has further boosted our confidence in our capabilities to stay true to our brand philosophy, our legacy and yet churn out contemporary and futuristic collections of apparel. The brand, although 100-years old, is very much relevant to today’s times and we now know we are ready for the next 100,” he says signing off.
₹18,000 onwards. At all outlets across Bengaluru.