The searing heat dictates how we dress up for summer. Unlike the West, where spring and summer are celebrated, we make do with a blink-and-you-miss-it spring and resign ourselves to face the unrelenting heat. In Indian conditions, summer fashion is about getting back to basics. With some planning, you can stay comfortable in the heat and be a head turner.
“A lot of my customers tell me that they hate summer. I tell them that with the right clothes that allow our skin to breathe, we can embrace the season,” says designer Asmita Marwa, who showcased her collections in flirty cottons at the India Resort Fashion Week, Goa, and Hyderabad International Fashion Week. She suggests teaming up Turkish pants with structured tops and drape dresses in linens and voils to beat the heat. “You can play around with layers. Wear a tank top on a pair of Turkish pants and throw on an open shirt in mulmul or soft cotton,” says Asmita. Alternatively, experiment with kurta-styled tops that can be knotted up at the waist.
Bring out those cotton dresses in floral prints, knee-length skirts and the palazzo pants. The reinvention of the palazzo pants started a year ago and spring/summer 2011 collections at Wills Lifestyle Fashion Week and Lakme Fashion Week saw a strong presence of the palazzos. Designers vouch that the trend will hold good for another couple of seasons.
There's no dearth in Indian and western outfits for working women. Designer Puja Sahney suggests classic silhouettes that withstand the vagaries of fashion trends. “Women feel comfortable in androgynous shirt dresses and kurtas with cut-away sleeves that can be paired with narrow cotton pants. Cigarette pants, kurtas paired with palazzos work well. Palazzo-styled ethnic pants with a touch of lace or fine hakoba embroidery can be worn with kurtas,” says Puja. Apart from summer regulars like whites and off-whites, she suggests a gradation of pastels. “We are doing the ocean series where a pista green fabric seamlessly blends into turquoise blue at the borders,” adds Puja.
Hail handlooms
Summer is incomplete without emphasising on our glorious weaves, the handlooms. Considering that we live in a city where it's sunny for most part of the year, it's not a bad idea to invest in handlooms. Over time, designers have given a stylish spin to handlooms with ikats and kalamkaris through dresses and tunics showcased in fashion weeks. At the recent Lakme Fashion Week, Sashikant Naidu showcased saris and dresses in khadi and cotton with kalamkari technique while the highlight of Deepika Govind's collection saw the re-invention of Chettinad checks in dresses.
Designer Aravind Joshua, who specialises in khadi, feels that the comfort of the hand-woven fabric remains unparalleled. “There are a variety of colours in khadi these days. We worked with weavers and brought out khadi fabrics in tangerine shades, pinks and greens. I don't adhere to trends and work with the comfort level of customers. Trousers and tops or kurtas with dhoti pants are comfortable for this weather,” he says.
Handlooms do require special care while washing and natural dyes tend to bleed. Aravind points out, “With changing lifestyles and lack of time, people feel it's a bother. But a little more care and your handlooms last longer. Wash them separately and starch them once in a while, which help to strengthen the yarn. A group in IIT Kharagpur is working towards developing natural dyes that don't run colour. Until then, we do need to pay attention to handlooms.”
Style check
In vogue: Turkish pants, palazzo pants, androgynous shirt dresses, cigarette pants in cottons and linens, A-line skirts and dresses.
Breathe easy: Choose from handloom cottons, soft mercerised cottons, linens, cotton-khadi blends and mulmuls that allow your skin to breathe.
Flirty pastels: Whites, off whites, aqua, bright shades of yellows, oranges and pistachio greens work for summer.
Flower power: Floral prints are still around. You will find them on dresses, shirts and skirts. Internationally, paisley prints are being used in dresses and tunics.
Accessorise right: Think of slip-ons and flip-flops in bright hues this season.
