The season to dress up is upon us and it’s time we ramp up our festive fashion. From colourful traditional wear to the right accessories, dressing up is as essential as taking that selfie/groupie for social media. With Dasara and Deepavali just around the corner, it is that time of the year hashtags around traditional wear make their annual appearance.
Popular city designer Ganesh Nallari says that he recommends Indian fusion wear this year. “A contemporary fashion look can be achieved by mixing and matching Indian classics with the western silhouettes,” he says, adding: “For women, crop tops with capes or jackets worn over pleated skirts or dhoti pants. A simple kurti can be layered with an open jacket worn with palazzos. Peplum tops with saris and a crisp white cotton men’s shirt with rolled up sleeves can be worn over a Kutch embroidered skirt.”
Colour blocking is another fun, bold expression, Ganesh recommends, “The trick is to balance solids with prints or embellished. If your outfit it simple or basic, team it up with chunky jewellery and vice versa. Shimmer and metallic colours work magic for evenings. Team neutral colours with bold accents.”
Warm hues for the festive season. Model Shivam Malhottra flaunts an ensemble from designer Ganesh Nallari’s festive menswear collection
Not forgetting men, he smiles admitting that they too have wide options. “They can go for short kurtas with waist coats over trousers, classic bandhgala with dhoti pants, asymmetric jackets with denim and cowl kurtas with chudidars .”
Archita Narayanam, another designer who is popular for couture wear, says that this season, prints are the rage and explains, “The look is long, languid and sensual, saturated in warm desert and sunset hues. More of fashion and crochet jewellery are in this season. Contemporary fashion is taking over and everyone wants their style to define them and yet be subtle.” The right colour can make or break a look and Archita’s preferred palette this year includes warm hues, burnt and rust red, bold and bright shades, sun-kissed hues tie-dye and geometric prints.
For smaller occasions, Ganesh advises, “A smart shopper should invest in classic pieces and mix them up differently each time they wear it. For example, an embellished crop top or a peplum top can be worn over a skirt, trouser or even with a sari. A sheer jacket over a sari looks chic. Similarly, for men, an Indian waist coat (Nehru jacket), or a bandhgala could be teamed up with a formal shirt or a kurta and worn either with a trouser, dhoti pants, patiala etc.”
Apeksha Singh, popular for her subtle designs suggests, “For the festive season, I usually go with darker shades of blues and reds. From what I have been noticing, people want easy-to-wear and comfortable clothes, which would be suitable for small events to festivities like Bhai Dooj,” she explains. Apeksha’s festive look includes aiming at natural dyes and foil prints on organic and breathable material, which looks rich without any heavy embroidery and embellishments.
Designer Raamz of Raamz and Chandrika suggests fun options for men. “Nehru jackets and kurtas are common these days. Boxy clothing is also very much in if one loves to experiment,” he shares adding that he doesn’t recommend sherwanis or even bandhgalas as they might become heavy considering the occasion.
Ask him the colours he prefers on the well-dressed man and he reels off a long list — sleepy blue, ripe olive, functional grey and apricot apart from traditional colours. His advice to men is simple — the best way to dress is to innovate and reuse clothes from one’s wardrobe or purchased for wedding wear.
Accessorising is important for any look and for the festive season Apeksha says that she would round off with heavy jhumkas, simple jootis and minimal make-up. Raamz prefers the bare minimum for men — interesting chappals, sandals and shoes, as they complete a look.
Published - September 24, 2019 02:09 pm IST
