Hyderabad: It’s the Seventies show! Yes, ladies, fashion is in rediscovery mode once again and the spotlight is on retro glam. Time to turn back the clock and step into the seventies.
“The season is all about retro styling and fun geometric prints that go easy on the silhouette. Giving retro a fresh new look, geometric prints have replaced floral prints. So you will find geo-retro inspired prints on cropped bomber jackets, pleated skirts and crop tops,” says designer Anita Dongre, whose Fall/Winter 2014 line flaunts the casual elegance and minimalistic sophistication that are the key highlights in the seventies fashion catalogue.
“Fashion has a tendency to come full circle. And we are once again looking back at the times when style was fun filled and lively, and the silhouettes were very clean,” says designer Parinita Saluja of Diva’ni label. The ‘hautest’ piece from the era, feels Parinita, is the jumpsuit that has catapulted into fashion fame once again. Retro is always a head-turner, but what gives it an added sizzle is a contemporary twist to it, feels Parinita, “Rediscovering is fine, but there has to be room for innovation, else things can turn stale.”
Designer Purvi Doshi also believes in being inspired by the seventies but not mirroring it blindly. “Falling for yesteryear fashion is fine but don’t be a copy cat. Instead, keep adding new twists to an old story. For instance, the loop sleeves are so seventies, but once you introduce a few stylish cuts, it takes an absolutely new look.” She adds, “Bell bottoms were an absolute favourite of that decade, today they are getting a fresh lease of life as palazzo pants. Well-fitted shirts and hippie shirts are the other stylish reminders of the time when women like Farah Fawcett in the West and Zeenat Aman here had a major influence on the style seekers.”
A stylish blend of now and then can be seen in the amalgamation of the jumpsuit and the pant. “It’s a split image of both — so you have the jumpsuit but instead of the bell bottom like flair, it has the narrow cut of a trouser,” says Parinita.
The seventies was all about floral prints and bright colours, with the palette taking a shine to ochre, bright reds, warm pinks. Purvi suggests, “Even if your silhouettes cut a contemporary figure, the bright colours and vintage floral prints can tell a very seventies story.”
Picking her favourite accessory that’s best suited for a time leap, Parinita says, “The headgears are back in fashion and that’s one thing I wouldn’t want to change.”
