haute line
Dressy dupattas

This fashion accessory adds style and colour to both Indian and western wear, says Aakriti Sinha

THIS attractive accessory blends well with the new-age women and a variety of outfits, be it salwaar kameez, churidar, lehenga or even jeans. The sheer magic of dupatta gives that perfect finishing touch to Indian dresses, and now in its new avatar — narrow, stole-like fashion accessory — it goes remarkably with western apparels like skirts, capris, denims, etc.

The dupatta is a long piece of cloth, worn or draped on the shoulder. Complementing popular Indian apparels, a beautiful dupatta can make an otherwise dull dress look stunning. Sherwanis for men look more eye-catching with a dressy dupatta.

The odhni literally means a covering. As a fashion garment, odhni looks graceful and breaks the monotony of the dress. A plain silk or cotton salwar kameez can look elegant when worn with an embroidered dupatta. Just a change of dupatta or the manner in which it is draped could add a new dimension to the outfit. If worn with jeans, it could be draped round the neck. It can also be worn as a sarong or sash.

With more or less each state having its traditional weaving art form, there are a variety of dupattas to choose from. You could go in for chikan, mangalagiri, kalamkari, chettinad, ikat, Mughal prints, bandhini`85 the list is endless. In the silk segment, you have brocades, cutwork designs from Banaras and tussar and organza dupattas. MF