Winter fashion is coming

In this conflicting new world of global warming and fast fashion, daily Instagram updates from your favourite design houses, and yoga pants everywhere your eyes go, from ramp to the street, do fashion updates really go by season? Nevertheless, here are some takeaways from the year of fashion that’s gone, the good and the bad.

Wear them cropped, in denim on denim, embellished, sheer, long, barely there, embroidered, belted or in military prints — all kinds of jackets are on board as far as the fashion conscious are concerned. The Lakmé Fashion Week Winter/Festive 2017, held from August 16-20, put on the ramp a number of fashion forward jacket combinations, even ones with saris. Adhuna Akhtar, walking the ramp for Chola in a chequered asymmetrical jacket in black-and-white, wowed the audience. What stood out was Rara Avis’s trench and wrap jackets, given a futuristic vibe with the help of asymmetrical silhouettes and unusual pairings of materials and textures.

Tights are now what stockings were to people in the ’70s: inevitable, an afterthought, to something, that at times, holds the outfit together. Tights may not have the same charm as sheers, but they are a convenient trend that is location fluid. You can slip into a pair for office, wear it at home or even on an evening out, as long as you pair it appropriately. Team up almost sheer ones with trainers, wear lacy ones under corduroy and denim skirts. Wear them in pop colours with shirt dresses and tunics. Match them with your loafers. Team up fishnets with cropped jeans. Or opt for thick leggings that can be paired with oversized, chunky-knit sweaters.

Let the winter months reflect in your choice of colours. Persian blues, dark greens and greys are a relief from candyfloss pink and neoprene blouses that were everywhere in the summer months. Indigo was big in both pret and designer labels this summer, and the colour is sticking on for winter. At the fashion week, Indegene, by Ruchi Tripathi and Jaya Bhatt, put up outfits in colours that ranged from icy blue, indigo to charcoal grey. The colour translated to both men and women’s wear.

As men embrace their feminine side, women opt for more gender neutral clothing, at least on the ramp. Women’s wear this season continues with the androgynous tilt; both in regular and bridal wear. Sayantan Sarkar’s regimental structured jackets are a classic example of this. Anushree Reddy’s floral dhoti paired with Nehru jackets in her signature pastel shades was a memorable moment from the fashion week. Those winter sun weddings can be made more aesthetic if boys were to take cue.

Layering has been one of the major trends to have caught on in 2017, and new avatars were seen on the ramp. Behold the waist cape, and the sari cloak, trends we’re unsure about. Menswear from Indegene liberally used throws and shawls in bright reds, to break the monotony of their predominantly blue palette. Jacqueline Fernandez walked for Manish Malhotra, in an ensemble that combines two trends, the sheer clothing and the cape, a short one that was contained till her waist. Sarkar, with his collection ‘Children of War’ borrowed on both the trends of structured jackets and flowy silhouettes, to come up with gender-neutral clothing such as cropped militarised shirts, and double-breasted suits with shoulder epaulletes for men.

If mint green, champagne and creams were the colour of important-than-ever bridal trousseau last year, this year, jewel tones are popular. Belts, in many materials, from zari to leather were a prominent part of all shows, in collections by SVA or Masaba Gupta. Silhouettes are simpler this season and tend to make for more wearable, accessible clothing choices for the bride.

As a response to athleisure, a lot of attention is given to fine tailoring — suits — snug and baggy, monochrome, or with a pop of colour are becoming popular all year round. The trend is big with both men and women — the fashion week saw men in heels, and Gupta’s models pairing well-cut shirts with funky saris.

The debate on sustainability and a call for slow fashion rings shriller at every fashion week. So much so, even international brands such as H&M and Zara, that stand for the ills associated with fast fashion, are investing in initiatives such as recycling and eco-friendly materials. Several designers decided to address this in their shows, especially the Huemm Project. The collective created an art installation at the venue, as well as sourcing fashion waste from their peers to create 10 recycled ensembles.

Their installation, titled In Reflection, was a grim reminder of the consumerist culture driven by the fashion bodies: the artwork consisted of two human forms dressed in shreds of clothing and plastic, resembling a landfill, in stark contrast to its surroundings.

From madhubani paintings on matka silk, to the contemporarising of fabrics such as chanderi, shibori, to Sanjay Garg’s reimagined versions of Lucknow chikan embroidery, Indian designers paid tribute to the bedrock of artisanal craft in this country.

For festive occasions especially, there is much to imbibe from this trend. Recycle old clothes from your mother and grandmother’s wardrobes, and fashioned into a completely different garment. Invest in designers such as Gaurang, Neha Agarwal, Sunita Shankar, Sanjay Garg, Matr, Anita Dongre who take the sustainability conversation forward.

payel majumdar upreti

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