Capturing the
spirit of romance
Fashion
By Pinky Adil
AS winter recedes and spring sets
in, the fashion scene brightens up in India. Structured
black dresses and gray suits are making way for loose,
free-flowing silks, linen and cotton in an exciting
range, drawing upon the colours of the rainbow.
In ethnic wear, it is the ghagra-choli
giving strong competition to the salwar-kameez this
season. For formal occasions, the embroidery is turning
out to be heavier than last year with pearls, silk,
sequins and zari, whereas informal wear is marked by a
bit of patchwork and mirrors.
Designers are adding their
own versions to the basic ghagra-choli though. For
instance, Shaina, a designer, has created an Indo-west
mix with wired ghagras and blouses with capes,
instead of conventional cholis.
She has also teamed the
long skirt with a kurta and a saree draped
around as a dupatta. There are also double-dupattas
going with this ensemble in fabrics ranging from
chiffon and kota silk to crushed chanderi and
tussar for a sensuous look and feel.
Shoba Somani is another
designer in the same league, only that she prefers to
work on fine net lace and velvet embellished with sequin
beads and delicate zari work. The ghagra is
teamed with a hip-length blouse. The emphasis is on the
crinkling, pleating and layering of fabrics.
Other designer are
concentrating on the choli while experimenting
with varying lengths and shapes. It could be short and
fitted like a saree-blouse or long and extend below the
waist in a loose shirt-like fashion or it could have the kurti
or kanjari style with a backless tie-up look.
Along with the ghagra-choli,
it is the dupatta or odhni, which is
undergoing experimentation. Very often, it is plain and
printed or embroidered and it does not necessarily have
to match the other two garments.
The same principles apply
to salwar kameez with a good deal of silk thread
embroidery, beadwork, sequins and gold zardozi.
Kameezes with puff sleeves and tapestry motifs on the
yoke are some of the innovations being observed this
season.
Gurpreet Bajaj has added
trench coats in a combination of two fabrics silk gazar
and silk jersey to this ensemble, thereby
dispensing with the dupatta. In colours of mint,
silver, silver and gray-blue, these tailored outfits make
a celebration of the feminine form.
Theres also Apna
Goenka who has come out with a fabulous collection of salwaar-kameezes
with fine embroidered borders in velvet worked upon
with gold zardozi. Embroidery forms like anglais,
burnouts and pita (a take-off on zardozi) are
also integral to the collection.
In western wear too, the
accent is on capturing the spirit of romance with linen
and fine silk in outfits ranging from ankle-length Capri
pants with long kurtas to Baluchi salwars teamed
with embroidered waistcoats.
In lightweight cottons,
the options are skirts, shorts and palazzos teamed
with tops that are light, airy, cool and sometimes,
transparent. The whites are either pure, ivory or
off-white, while floral prints vibrate between yellow,
blue and tangerine.
Designers like Sharon
Leong and Chandrajit Adhikari have worked out typical
geometric silhouettes of basic shapes that follow the
contours of the body. Their fabric preferences revolve
around organic hand-woven natural cottons, jacquard and
organza that allow the body to breathe.
And then there are
designers like Rupashi Panchal and Chhaya Arya for whom
dresses serve as a medium to highlight Indias
artistic traditions. Ikat, mangalagiri, Warli
paintings, totemic motifs and scriptural writing find
expression in their latest creations.
Panchal, for instance, has
come out with 10 styles of monochromatic salwar-kameezes
in mangalagiri fabric with Nizam zari border.
The cut has been deliberately kept simple and uncluttered
so that the paintings on the dress get highlighted.
(MF)
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