The traditional saree and the dhoti will remain a perennial favourite in the festive wardrobe. Here’s how to drape them differently
Always at their ethnic best, Bollywood is all set to put their best foot forward in glitter and gold, so why shouldn’t you? Play deck up this festive season by hopping on board the traditional train – the nine yards of elegance for women and the time-honoured dhoti for men – and all this, with a spin!
Ageless, elegant and surprisingly versatile, the saree is always a clear winner in the ethnic department, but if the fashion weeks are anything to go by, it’s time to swathe them over differently. “Drape it over a pair of cigarette pants or a well-fitted dhoti for the trendy dhoti saree. Instead of a blouse, you can also team it up with a short or long jacket. Layering a sheer saree over a well-fitted ghagra is another way to go about it. Florals, rich brocades and silks with hints of embellishment are hot this season. Pick them in pinks, peaches, corals, hints of blue and traditional reds and blacks,” suggests city designer Puja Jolly of Studio Nile, about ways to get creative with the nine yards of elegance.
Indian designers have been reinventing this resilient garment for years now – Manish Malhotra’s sheer drapes on sensual metallic ghaghras, Shantanu & Nikhil’s perennial style of wearing them over pants for those who find the voluminous layers cumbersome or Anju Modi’s jacketed style for instance. Now, local designers are fast adapting the ramp’s darlings for the city’s clientele. While you may have one too many things to juggle this Diwali, designer Tejaswini Kranthi of Kalasthree Boutique says, “Use flowing fabrics that take the shape of the body as they are a convenient material. The latest in the drape department is to wear it as a gown with a corset blouse or a crop top and to show the blouse more prominently by either pinning the saree sideways or wearing the blouse over the saree.”
Why should girls have all the fun? With the festivities around the corner, the men folk are pulling up their panches too! While revamping the patriotic garment at the India Bridal Fashion Week, designer Raghavendra Rathore was quoted as saying, “The dhoti is synonymous with reverence and is regaining its rightful place in the modern closet.” And rightly so! Woven in silks, khadi and crisp cottons, this garment is now being teamed with longer waistcoats, tailcoat kurtas and buttonless jackets to kick the edge up a notch.
Reflecting his blend of regimental influences and contemporary silhouettes to showcase the flavour of today’s India, designer Nick Roshan says, “Kotis, ready slim dhoti pants and cotton bandhgalas are in.” So, how will you be draping it this Diwali?
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( Source : deccan chronicle )
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