Haute line
For the not-so-young
Rekha Rampal

Maturity is a relative term that has little to do with the age or looks of a woman. Yet, the very mention of the word conjures images of one not-so-young, obviously successful in her career and in complete control of herself — someone like Simi Garewal, who is very much her own person.

But then you need not always be in that trademark white to make a fashion statement. Shirts, trousers, skirts and dresses in clean, simple silhouettes and in bright florals, stripes and abstracts can do justice to fuller figures.

Clearly, for such women, it is not necessary to hide the body under a tent. Sarees might seem the best bet, followed by a loose-fitting salwar-kameez. But in a fast developing fashion industry, there are several emerging style options to keep the modern woman well-dressed.

A full figure may not look flattering, for instance, in a cropped lace top. But try teaming it with a sheer long georgette and the effect can be quite sexy. Vertical stripes and A-line dresses can add several inches to one’s height.

Likewise, body suits need not be restricted to slim women. There are stretch velvet versions in silver and beige as well as shirt and trouser/skirt combo with a silk printed scarf around the neck that can look quite stunning. Designers like Yamini Zaveri believe that styling for a mature woman should create minimum front interest.. So she keeps an eye on rear detailing, the emphasis being on buttons, layering and piping on basic body styles.

Remanika, another Bombay-based designer of western wear, points out that silk capes worn with sleeveless lace tops or jerseys and matching skirts can look quite dressy on women who are not exactly model slim.

Alternatively, she recommends simple, long-sleeved viscose silk shirts that can be teamed with tights, trousers or skirts. The preferred shades are jade green, beige, brown, electric blue, maroon and black. Animal print blouses in georgette and wraparound skirts are also hot numbers.

Then there are names like Shobana Singh and Meenal Kothari who are known to design ethnic wear for the not-so-young. Between them, they design six collections every season, each consisting of 20 exquisite pieces.

A beige-and-jade pastel rayon line has a soft, feminine flow for the kurta and has sheer dupattas as accessories. The latter are in hand-block batik prints, as well as saffron and shades of orange blends with floral motifs.

The second range includes chiffon printed layered kurtas over cotton or silk in muted shades of burgundy, jade, blue, turquoise and wine. There is also an ornate line in silk, with specially woven dupattas from Benares in deep shades of rust, khaki and brown.

The most striking creation is however, the combination of velvet cholis with off-white cotton-silk sarees ("the warp is silk and weft is cotton") edged with Parsi silver border embroidery. The velvet tops have varied necklines and are edged with the same silver Parsi border embroidery.

Finally, there’s a knee-length jacket worn with an off-white saree that has become a scene stealer. Shobana and Meenal are also offering an equally elegant and chic Jodhpuri jacket with the saree, in a variety of colours from black and navy to grey and brown.

Other designers have started coming out with variations of this theme with jacket blouses and short tops. There are also plain shirts with just a hint of embroidery, and collars turning from a rigid mandarin to those with one or two button.

Other notable styles making the rounds include white ghagra-cholis in endless swirls of white satin, worn with crocheted short blouses and dupattas made of lace and net. Mina Chawla is credited with ushering in this trend during the festival season last year.

Her western line for the well-endowed woman has palazzo pants worn under flowing tunics and over-sized shirts. Her colours are drawn from nature — beige, cream, khaki, olive green and off-white. As always, the accent is on comfort, utter simplicity and clarity. (MF)

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