Red is in vogue this winter
By Saurabh Malik
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Nov 27 — Smouldering red — the colour of hot blood passion — is cool in the winter of '99. Not just in Chandigarh, but in up-to-minute boom towns of the region also.

Fair, artistic fingers gently smoothen the flaming-red long coat's pleated back as Nidhi Kapoor, not unaware of the appreciating eyes, knocks down the Sector 17 market corridors in high heel ankle boots.

As she feels the bright scroll caps placed one over another outside a television showroom, she is joined by friend Sherry Brar in a flashy red-dyed jacket over a full-length black-knitted skirt.

"Red is the colour we all are in love with," cries Sherry, in city from Shimla to take home cheerful garments for defeating the hard, dull, bitterness of cold.

Little wonder, the shade is splattered all over in the showroom windows. Under the glaring white lights of the high-wattage bulbs, glitter the cardigans, pullover, jackets, wind-cheaters, even long coats in the luring hues of blood, tempting the unarmed shoppers as they go around looking in admiration.

"Red is the in-shade not only in Chandigarh, but in the region as well. For youngsters come here to shop in style from all over and carry with them the latest fashion," says director of a national fashion designing institute Ritu Kochhar. "The colour has thrown out from the glass shelves the florescent pink, green and yellows — hot in 1997-98, in vogue until last year. To go with the red we have shades of black and grey".

For teenyboppers not infatuated with red, olive green is "the best". Yes, and it is not just the casual dungarees and camouflaged trousers in OGs to don with the mobile phones, you can pull out soiled currency for mufflers, gloves and jackets too.

"If music videos and movie producers can cash in on the Kargil issue, can our garment manufacturers in Punjab be far behind," says Anusha Verma, young fashion designer from Ludhiana. "We have girls all in a dither over the ‘fauji’ stuff. Some are even carrying ‘pitthus’ instead of the conventional leather handbags".

But if you consider OGs to be too decent for electrified dance parties, go in for teeny-weeny single piece short dresses in floral prints, nicely wrapped up in greatcoats.

"And when the spirits are high and sweat is trickling down the brow from too much of twirling all around on the dance floor, the coats can be thrown up in the air," suggests party-buff Ruchita, a Panjab University student. "Instead of ‘chut’ skirts, you can wear full-length knitted skirts and ankle boots with body-hugging splashy tops in lurex".

Don't worry if "formals only" is printed in bold on the glossy invitation cards for dance parties . You do not have to wear salwar kameez in satin after all.

"In formal wear for girls, we have suits with four, even five, buttons," reveals Kamal Kant, a Sector 35 garment showroom manager. "The colours are also sober — turquoise blue, grey, black and brown. You can have coats with ‘achkan’ type collars also. Formal shirts in knits are also on the hangers".

If you haven't picked up a pair of jeans so far, buy yourself denims with six pockets or loose and straight fits. You can even make a bid for gabardine. "Do not go shopping for tights, hip huggers and stretchables, please. Not for denim jackets either," advises Madhur Kang, student of fashion designing. "They are out for good".

But before stepping into the big, popular, expensive showrooms, visit the other garment outlets also. Foreign brands are also available at reasonable prices for those caring to choose, for the ones who sneer to follow the crowds. "With a little patience and taste, you can track down dresses for the winter sun and the chilling fog," says Sarika Kapoor, Amritsar-based designer working with an export house. "Buy only good stuff — winter comes only once a year".

Must haves for winter

If you are feeling out of fashion, you "must have" a Lurex, not velvet, top, over straight fit jeans in blue or just any colour. Gabardine will give you a "neater" look. Put 'em on with sneakers.

A good woollen jacket, a long coat, will not only keep you warm, it is also "hep". Leather jackets are in too, but expensive. In pullovers and cardigans, go, grab the ones with cables or with impressive checks. Plains look decent. And do not forget to buy yourself a pair of woollen gloves and leather if you are a biker. Mufflers will shield you from icy winds.

For suit lovers, silk and satin are in vogue in the winter ’99 also. But do not forget to wrap nicely embroidered shawls with the suits.

More parking areas sought
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Nov 27 — Ms Harjinder Kaur, former Deputy Mayor and Councillor of the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation, wants that sufficient parking spaces, both paid and unpaid, should be developed at busy commercial and public complexes.

Ms Harjinder Kaur said the city was planned to deal with the limited parking problems of three-and-a-half lakh population which has grown manifold now. "Is this problem not the result of the lack of farsighted planning on the part of the Chandigarh Administration which has put us all in soup? The Chandigarh Administration is equally responsible for the short and long-term planning failure over this parking problem," she said.

She assailed the police for towing away vehicles parked on roadside but maintained that little was done to check the haphazard parking witnessed at all commercial centres and public places. The policemen do not enforce proper and correct parking.

She said that the problem could not be solved by criticising one agency or the other. Something must be done immediately to provide relief to the people.

She suggested across the road signage systems for distant and better view of the signals, paid and free parking lots, etc.

The present roads and parking areas should be made with ceramic paint by strictly following the lane system, both in driving and at parking places. She further said that there should be two wings of the traffic police. One wing should be used for educating road users and the other should be used for regulating traffic and challaning the violators.

‘Poor quality material used’
Tribune News Service

SAS NAGAR, Nov 27 — Recent public statements by the Chief Minister of Punjab, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, to weed out corruption in the execution of development works appear to have made little impact in this town.

Residents have demanded a probe into the quality of works in the town, being executed right under the nose of the local Municipal Council. A case in this direction is laying of curve channels in Phase X ( Sector 64) here.

The quality of the curve channels being laid is so poor that they had started to break. When the TNS team reached the spot, a municipal councillor, Mr A.S.Tehsildar, showed the compressive strength of the material. He claimed that the quality of material being used for development works was not being monitored by the authorities concerned.

He said he had written to the Vigilance Department to probe into the quality of works in the council. Pointing to the quality of the curve channels — made out of cement, sand and gravel — a resident of Phase X, Mr Didar Singh, a retired Superintending Engineer, said the material had not been cured. The ratio of the composite material used in making the tiles needed to be probed, he added.

Another resident of the phase, Mr Pritam Singh, said the quality of the foothpath tiles was also not up to the mark as they had started breaking at several points. Mr B.S.Tej, President of the Citizens Welfare Council, said the development works carried out by the Municipal Council in the past needed to be probed.