Fashion News

Summer's style prediction

Analysing the European and Asian forecast, I predict that the mood of Spring-Summer 2005 will be mischievous, naughty and playful. Spring descends on your wardrobe. Bring out the paint-box. Even though our dressing style limits our options for experimentation, our fashion industry is gradually waking up to the enormous potential of the domestic market. With that in mind, it's high time we got ourselves an updated fashion forecast, properly analysing the spirit and mood of the season and the year.

Saris: Op Art (Optical Illusion) is in! It could be totally washed out by prints. Different colours of Polka dots in georgette will be in demand. You can choose to wear silk, chiffon and georgette saris with tie-dye effects, with mirror work, gota work, zardosi, kundan and beadwork.

Jamdani and taat are also sensible choices for this weather. Taat in lime green, baby pink, coral reef, pale orange, Begonia pink with off white base will look cool with traditional motifs on it. Hand-painted saris in cotton with folk art and traditional motifs painted on it will give an ethnic look, which can be enhanced with lots of beads, terracotta or jute hand-made accessories, and fabric patch-worked handbags.

Blouse/Cholis: Give more emphasis on blouses or cholis this season. Cuts will be bold and smart. In case of cuts, less is more and in case of ornamentation, more is less. You can mix and match a simple chiffon sari with a halter neck blouse, slightly embroidered on collar points, giving yourself a Bango-western look, accessorise with small decorative handbags, strapped embroidered chappals, and coral antique necklaces. Experiment with blouses or cholis, back-less, halter, off-shoulders, corsets, spaghetti and sleeveless with one piece shirt-collar. Sometimes you can also try out ghagra-cholis in parties, instead of saris.

Shalwar-kameez: Kurtis will be slimmer, shalwars fuller and still allow for freedom of movement. Sequinned kurtis in sleeveless or turned up three-quarter sleeves, with embroidered cuffs, sporting hand embroidery or tie-dyed or appliqué
d patiala shalwars will be in. Team your comfortable and colourful embroidered chappals with patiala shalwar in silk and linen. Floral prints in shalwar with plain, geometric, vertical and diagonal colourful stripes will rock. Salt-washed effects with wide V-necks and crossover necklines and lots of layering effects and drapes will be in.

Corporate clothing: For today's corporate ladies, you decide to set a dress-code for yourself, which not only will be comfortable, easy to maintain and appropriate to your profession, but also elegant and stylish. You can easily wear kurtis that reach down to mid thigh in traditional, hand-loom cotton fabric or cotton with vegetable dye, with three-quarter sleeves with turn-up cuff or sleeveless, with a 1to 2 inches mandarin collar with front V-neck, side-slit and nice ethnic buttons. And you can also club different coloured or washed denims and trousers as bottoms and accessorise with small, narrow, and bright scarves, wedge-heeled shoes and smart, updated eye-wear. It will definitely give you a contemporary ethnic corporate look.

Modern girl: Adventurous young fashionistas have a lot of options this season. If you are already bored with shalwar-kamiz and trousers, this season you must experiment with skirts. Any kind of skirt, short or long. Plain and floral prints, tiered skirts, wrap-around, A-line skirts with short, minimal and fitted jackets or wraparound tops with layered sleeves, cross shouldered bags along with traditional sandals or chappals are in.

Ponchos, Persian kaftans, beads, wedge heels, broad canvas belts are pretty hot this season. Bring out the little girl in you. Play with bows, baubles and insect prints, sequins, feathers, coins, lace and crochet.

Balance your silhouette with full skirts and trousers with fitted tops and bolero jackets; experiment with gold buttons. This season, the focus is on accessories. The crochet dress works best on a slender form, but don't forget to slip on a cotton petticoat under a flouncy skirt. Sarongs make flattering wraps this summer. Try to highlight or break up prints with a contrasting ribbon or belt. Long, chunky necklaces and beads are the accessories of choice. The shrunken cropped jacket, the fuller, bigger, longer "Gypsy Skirt", cropped trousers or turned up trousers, the empire line dress or top, flat or wedge shoes with tribal style jewellery are the fashion statement this season. In some cases, girls would be wearing oversized shirts with all kinds of denims. Transparent shirt and mother of pearl buttons will rock this season. Kaftans from hip length to floor length are pretty popular. Beaded jewellery encrusted sandals are stylish.

Colour and fabric : Colour and fabric is an important part of fashion apparel. The colour in an apparel line can be as significant as the silhouette. Bright colours are back. Colours like topaz, orange, dusty apricot, hot fuchsia pink, garnet, green, pine green, emerald, aquamarine, sapphire, amethyst, metallic colour, rich jewel tones, hot yellow, carrot, pumpkin, tangerine, cinnamon, purple and more purple, electric blue and coral.

"The return to the nature look" will use fabrics that are natural such as silk, cotton, hemp, ramie, linen. Surface textural interest will also be a focus. Raw rustic fabrics with a vintage worn quality, mercerised cotton fabrics that are lustrous with sheen, cotton, thick yarn worked with yarn cotton materials, pin tuck, pleated fabrics, denim edged with white lace, puckered sheer suckers and stone washed goods will be favourite fashions. Fringing on turned hems will still be seen and merge with new twists such as lightweight crochet and macramé.

Vintage laces are well known for their wonderful enhancement. Now lace is reborn with such a variety and are available in frills, flounces and ruffles. The newer metallic platinum look lace is as popular as palest pink, ivory, cream and white lace.

The catch-phrase here is 'experiment'. Don't be afraid to try new things, but don't be a fashion victim either. Remember, to look good, you have to be comfortable in what you wear and be able to carry it off.

By Subhra Saha
(Fashion Designer, Critic and lecturer).