Return of ready-to-wear
By Sumona Roy

AT a time when every season calls for a different dressing and with designers showing up a dime a dozen, the fastest emerging trend is pret-a-porter wear. The exclusivity of a design associated with a particular name or label has been diluted, making way for mass-produced ready-mades.

Significantly, these exquisitely crafted designer clothes retailed from upmarket boutiques are no longer seen as "budget dresses" or "export rejects". In fact, they are just as expensive and, more importantly, as indicative of current fashion trends as those paraded at fancy ramp shows.

Little wonder, leading Indian designers like Shaina N.C. and Usha Mirchandani are opting for the mass route of selling through Shopper’s Stop, Crossroads, West Side and such departmental stores. That the trend is now for minimal styling has further contributed to the success of pret-a-porter.

As Shaina puts it: "The mantra is to wear climate-friendly clothes in soothing colours. Ethnic is out. It is modern elegance — beige, sober cuts, natural fibres... the orientation is towards comfort. Embroidery in self-tones adds that extra touch of class."

Effectively, the Indian summer is witnessing the invasion of cool cottons, crisp khadis, soft muls and light chiffons that are high in style, yet never outrageously sexy, dressy or ostentatious. Traditional cuts and textures merge with smart western concepts of ‘romance’ and ‘femininity’ for that added drama.

On the colour front, the classic white continues to rule supreme, while pastels, powder pinks and lime greens are catching up fast in popularity. Another cool colour is blue and its various shades — from the palest aqua through cornflower and electric to midnight and the darkest indigo.

"The accent is on the light-touch look," insists Krishna Mehta, who is making a celebration of delicate, utterly light and sensuous clothes for her pret-a-porter line. The "floaty feel", she says, goes well with women of all ages.

For Usha Mirchandani, the emphasis is on ethereal colours, tender cuts, surface texturing and fluid fabrics. Her Designer’s Paradise label, retailed through Crossroads, is best known for some breath-taking styles in soft voile, crepe and chiffon.

This year, she has added a new line of knits — short kurtas teamed with straight trousers and printed scarves. There’s also her famous ecru kurtas with embroidery on the yoke and sleeves (to be worn with crushed dupattas) as also chiffon-georgette sarees with lycra, velvet or lace blouses in spaghetti straps and fastenings at the back.

In casual wear, designers are recommending cool khakis for the sporty, teen look. The stores are packed with sailor pants and baggies to be teamed with colourful strappies, bikini tops and cotton singlets for the holiday season.

For evening wear, pret-a-porter options are fairly limited. The most common today are the "wet look" dresses with a good deal of smocking and sequins. Sequinned bustiers, PVC trousers with a metallic plastic belt and the ubiquitous jeans and T-shirt are just about the other choices for teeny-boppers to rock into the wee hours.

Girls are going in for short dresses with delicate embroidery and French lace. The emergence of light-as-air crochet and gossamer fine knits add to the ultra-feminine look. Strapless bustiers with straight pants or skirts constitute another option.

Clearly, in this age of body-consciousness, soft slinky shapes have come to define both western and fusion wear. This collection in Shoppers’ Stop is described as "active wear" with primary focus on the "millennium woman, who is figure conscious and "fashion forward".

Other stores like Folio and West Side are also overflowing with ready-to-wear evening gowns, chiffon tops, swirling lehngas, disco pants, tube tops and drawstring trousers in mauves, blues and fruity colours — all very light, effervescent and soft.

As Sangeeta Chopra puts it: "Power dressing is out and instead, soft, feminine, fluid moods juxtaposed with sporty looks are in. Sleeveless, bare backs, off shoulders, bead fringes in sheers and transparents make for the romantic and feminine look of the season."

Adds Geeta Rawal, another designer: "Indian fashion has really sharpened up, revealing a flash of shoulder here, a glimpse of leg there... The grunge, fused with the Oriental look, is taking the simple understated aesthetic to a sensuous extreme." (MF)