It is that time of the year. The time for celebrations, for regaling in the traditions and enjoying flavors of the numerous festivals of our country. The Indian calendar is jam packed with colorful festivities towards the year end. There are bright lights ,beautiful colours, lively decorated markets, happy kids and shopping crazy women all over the nation. Even the elders are excited as they live to tell and re-tell the stories behind the origin of the festivals to whom so ever bothers to ask them.
Fashion wise, this is a wonderful time to dress up. One needs no excuse to go shop as these festivals in themselves invite hordes of compulsive shopping needs as tradition. For instance, Diwali ,Id and Dussehra automatically mean new clothing. The celebration is incomplete without wearing new garb. Bling is the order of the day, days rather. Wear jewellery..compliment your clothes with statement pieces, go all out and show what celebrations can be all about.
This festive season, opt for the fusion look. Wear neon colours in suits, lehngas and sarees. Wear saree gowns. Wear sheer, wear unique drapes. Wear skirts, wear crop tops. Wear them to honour the occasion and to show your festive yet fashionable spirit. Fashion is fusion. Select a silhouette basically drawn from Western influences, but relying heavily on Indian textile heritage and styling. These elements when combined together, give the garment a modern feel.
The current fashion crush is on the crop tops. They are invariably being combined with Indian skirts, trousers, pants, dhoti pants and many possible silhouettes. You can wear them with sarees too for those endless rounds of cocktail and card parties. For Pooja, go slightly more conventional and try the formal ethnic weasr that is traditional and sensible. For the dandiya fun you can definitely bring the bling out. Mirrored skirts with sexy cholis, ghagras and skirts in rainbow colours, the glittering silver or golden gota patti work. It all blends perfectly well in the garba raas masti.
However, designers feel that though dramatic statements in colours are good, but bright and soft pastel shades will add the perfect balance to the festive look. Since it is not winters yet, the colour scheme can be a bit summery but the overall feel and structure can draw from the upcoming season. So one can opt for floor length anarkalis, or even long straight kurtas with shararas and palazzos. Silk pants and long Sherwani style jackets are also an eternal fashion statement. Colours which will stand out this season are champagne pink, fuchsia, faded red, mint green, black and baby blue and can be teamed with light breathable fabrics such as chiffon, georgette and crochet lace.
Beautiful embroideries and embellishments can be splayed across giving a playful yet feminine look. Opt for flowing anarkalis with a subtle highlight of badla work or Chikan anarkalis and shadow saris which can be worn for the perfect day look. Transparent sheer and opaque silk ornate with vintage floral patterns appliquéd or embroidered make superb evening wear.
Try not to lose the aesthetic value of festivals when celebrating or dressing up for these occasions. Traditions are like precious heirlooms, they need to preserved no matter how much we evolve with times. So go out and flaunt yourself but flaunt the rich heritage that we are a part of too.
