THIS is turning out to be an exciting summer for Indian fashion lovers. From newer fabrics and sharper cuts to bolder silhouettes and brilliant colours, the celebration of style, which began with the festive season last year, seems to be going on and on.

As for texture, any fabric that has the sheen of silk and feel of cotton is just right this summer. "Dual-shaded linen and cotton lycra are the most favoured fabrics," opines designer Nikhil Mehra. "But plain cotton will also maintain its stand with couturiers.

Khadi cotton is what designer duo Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla are going for, besides patchwork on sheer organdy. According to them, the focus is on surface textures and solid colour, "which means denims in various colours, from bleached white to black, peppered with rivets patches and tiers" are also in.

‘The white stretch pipe trousers with low fits and punky jeans will stay in style," confirms Leena Singh, another designer. "The soft washed denim will reflect a youthful and holiday spirit. Also animal prints will come in a big way."

Significantly, even men’s jeans are likely to have a low waistline while flared legs and boot cuts will prevail along with the washed look. Store owners feel that raw hems, washed out jerseys, linen and cotton crepes will also prevail in a washed look.

For youngsters, there are loose comfort-fit trousers as well, only that these would be narrower and more stylish. Girls have the option of short skirts as well, with detailing like frills and gather down the front and paired with tops with puff sleeves, silver buttons and lace details.

"This is a season for long, clean silhouettes," opines Singh, "For instance, the Chinese coat style will make a comeback in a huge way. Traditional salwar-kameez suits will reflect the Chinese high collar, loose straight, sleeves, a clean front and minimal embroidery."

Apart from high collars, the summer would witness a revival of cotton tops paired with straight pants and shorts in affordable Italian polynosic fabric. "We must understand that people are usually in a holiday mood and not inclined to spend heavily on clothes at this time of the year," a boutique owner pointed out.

Then there are the ever popular kurtas both in bright shades and pale white. "Short kurtas with a fusion of eastern styles and western silhouettes are really hot this summer," informs Satya Paul, a specialist in women’s wear. "These would most suitably be paired with trouser-cut salwars."

His partner, Puneet Nanda points out that pret lines are what the youth is looking at: "We are working on asymetrical lines, both on necklines and hemlines and are introducing micro-short kurtis, which can be worn with sequinned hot pants and stoles."

Other designers point out flowing chiffons would co-exist with structured linen during the summer. Abu and Sandeep are pitching for chikan-work kurtas while Nikhil feels georgette churidar-kurti combos will appeal to women of all age groups.

For a more dressy look, Nikhil advises short dupattas with dye and weaving details. "Short dupattas can always be worn with short kurtas and can also doubled as stoles," he points out. Besides, there are colourful scarves and perhaps, simple cotton purses with braided handles that can do the trick.

On the colour front, two distinct palettes would dominate this summer. As Paul puts it, all the colour would be either bright with a tangy edge or soft, with a touch of white. Moreover, for a change, colour would determine designs, rather than the other way around.

Nanda adds that their forthcoming collections are in all shades of pink, along with sharp line, turquoise green, light orange and the neutral shades.

Store owners point out that as the season unfolds faded pastels in natural fabrics will make way for pale white and honey by June or July. Then bright shades like lemon yellow, orange and red would become very popular towards the end of July and through August.

In between, bold contrasts like red and yellow would show up, besides polka dots in black and white as well as window pane checks in white on beige or black base. However, intricate block prints and graphic, reproductions would fall from favour, barring stray instances of T-shirts and tops. MF