Wrap it up

It wasn’t too long ago that high fashion meant less cloth and more skin. However, it now looks like it is time for the bodycon dresses and plunging necklines to give way to crew necks and boat necks . Sleeves now run all the way down to elbows. Hemlines have lowered and end discreetly at the mid-calf length. For designers such as Ridhi Mehra, Masaba and Nishka Lulla, the scooped necks of sari blouses are being replaced by necklines that close above the collarbone. While the fashion lines of Soumitra Mondal of Marg and Sanjay Garg of Raw Mango are now identifiable by their revivalist work. Mondal does ethnic-wear, bridal and pret. Garg has been instrumental in reviving the chanderi.

Designers like Sabyasachi Mukherjee and Ritu Kumar have always veered towards a more demure silhouette. Sabyasachi’s maharani necklines, or bejewelled polo necks have been his trademark for the last few years. However, Mukherjee and Kumar cater almost exclusively to the wedding sector, which errs on the side of the prim and proper. We are now seeing a new conservatism that doesn’t merely start and end with wedding collection, but spreads through all lines.

This new covered-up aesthetic cannot be simply classified as conservatism.“Why do we always equate being covered up with being traditional or conservative, and sexiness with exposure? Being covered up is also sexy,” says Garg.

“There is a changing definition of what is sexy. Higher necklines and longer sari blouses elongate the torso and draw attention to the neck and the clavicle. Sleeves that reach the elbow, draw the eye to the slimmest part of a woman’s hand — her wrists.” Nachiket Barve, who is known for surface texturing, agrees, “To every trend, is an equal and opposite trend. This is a reaction to seasons of high exposure. Fashion reflects shifting erogenous zones and now the focus is on the elbow, the wrist, the shin and the ankles.”

Fashion watcher Ramesh Menon believes it’s not just the erogenous zones that are shifting, but also fashion ideals. “The new woman wants to dress more like her grandmother than her mother, and conservative is the new radical. I have seen it increasingly with friends’ daughters who have a secret admiration for the way their grandmothers dressed,” says the consultant at Fashion Design Council of India.

Menon is of the opinion that India is now seeing conservative silhouettes because it is merely following an international trend rather than making its own path. This newfound ‘conservatism’ can be seen in sheer panelling, which gives an “illusion of showing skin,” says Menon, adding, “This is classic mysticism at work.” For him, this is about women wanting to be noticed on their own terms, rather than drawing attention to the length of their hemlines.

Some in the fashion industry see this covering up in political rather than aesthetic terms. Nitasha Guarav, who styles for Ranveer Singh and Parineeti Chopra says, “The mood is sombre and the inclination is to be careful, feel safe. There is evidence for this historically. During the two World Wars, there were limited resources. There was no time for frivolity. However, in the ’60s, there was a joyousness all around. Hemlines got shorter, colours were louder, prints were bolder. There was a playfulness in the air.” He agrees that there is a new sense of propriety given the present socio-political turmoil.

It would not be a stretch to deduce that the new aesthetic has come about because of our new political landscape. There is a covert and obvious reinforcement of the idea that women are responsible for their own safety, and dressing ‘appropriately’ is the first step towards achieving that. We might reject those notions consciously, but unconsciously are we covering up?

(Mitali Parekh is a Mumbai-based columnist)

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