ROHIT BAL: Fall Shock Factor (Fashion Wire Daily)

New Delhi - When youre Rohit Bal, youve got to do something to keep the crowd saying "wow!" And Guddu bhaiya, as he is affectionately called in his hometown of New Delhi, has covered just about everything there is to cover in Western or Indian fashion. So when theres nothing left here on earth for you to conquer, where do you go? Thats right, space.

Bals fall 2008 collection screamed "space-age sex kitten meets trendy, retro goth-goddess." The theme of the Wednesday night show was loud, large metallic hoop skirts in pop fuchsia or silver with strappy leather bands snaking around the bodice. Who thought S&M would ever be a hit in Indian fashion?

The show started with one of the models coming to life from her robotic state. Adorning her were giant wire bands to make up a collar and skirt, and behind her followed the ladies in black with their gothic lace skirts fish-tailing behind them.

Bal was out to make a statement, and he did just that with his outrageous and bold wire pieces, shaped into bubble skirts and Elizabethan collars. Over-large metal flowers embroidered into his sari and skirt borders were also a staple of the show, and his mens coats were showy, glittering pieces that were only meant to be worn on the eve of Y2K – all in the name of drama. His models strutted out to the Carmina Burana which filled the hall and gave the audience a sense of immense grandeur.

What he actually based his show on was the concept of Gota, the Indian style of working with several different types of earthy metals including copper, lead, iron and bronze. In typical Bal style though, his interpretation completely reinvented the tradition.

Bals collection was shocking, riveting and exciting. At the end of the show, Guddu admitted that most of his pieces were entirely un-wearable. "However," he continued, "un-wearability has never been a concern of mine when it comes to fashion."