Hyderabad: The good old dhoti is enjoying its journey from tradition to innovation.
Embraced and adapted by designers, the dhoti’s new avatars are comfy, funky and definitely stylish.
To begin with, dhoti has blurred the gender divide and entered the female wardrobe. Tarun Tahiliani teamed up dhoti pants with poncho tops, while Wendell Rodricks came up with dhoti-like draped trousers paired with asymmetrical tops — all in a single tone.
Payal Pratap Singh remained loyal to the ethnic element and clubbed dhoti pants with angarkhas. Interestingly, designer Anju Modi explored the wonders of the dhoti in modern times by shaping it as androgynous trousers and teaming it with very feminine sheer angarkhas.
Designer Masaba Gupta ensured the neo-dhoti doesn’t fall into the “too serious” trap by keeping things peppy with funky prints and short, bright kurtas for company. And dhoti’s haute-est moment was perhaps Sonam Kapoor at Cannes this year in a dhoti drape inspired sari by Anamika Khanna.
Designer Nupur Kanoi is happy that the dhoti is no longer restricted to a male domain.
“I was drawing ideas from North Indian dancers and courtesans, that’s when the dhoti entered my creative space. However, I wanted to bring an innovative angle to the story. That’s when I thought of creating dhoti jumpsuits. This was a sort of a gender blender — a distinctly male silhouette but a strictly feminine overall look. I opted for sensuous lace, sheer chiffon, satin, crêpe, abstract fishnet along with chikankari,” she says.
“It’s all about the drape,” declares designer Shraddha Murarka. “Your sari and sarong can be tweaked to create exciting new styles by going the dhoti way. A fun element can be added to even a regular evening gown by stitching it in a dhoti format. Dhoti-like trousers ensure the comfort factor while giving a nice fusion feel to your appearance. Team it with a short tunic or a tee in quirky prints and you’re set to turn heads,” assures the designer.
Designer Pooja Sabarwal confidently places the new age dhoti in both the Indian and western style sensibilities. “A dhoti-style stitched sari is the ‘it’ dress of the moment. Wear it in sheer with subtle embellishments, though I would prefer a bit of crystal work on it. You can also flaunt dhoti pants with a crop top. While the loose deconstructed lower half will give an easy-breezy feel, the well-fitted top baring the midriff will create an interesting look. Go for fluid fabrics for that perfect the stylised dhoti and avoid crisp cottons.”
