Jackets take a long route

You sure don’t want to walk the predictable line. Long jackets in the cold months is a longstanding affair. But clubbing it with trousers is so every year. This season, innovation is the key as long jackets get a new avatar.

In the Valentino Shanghai collection, the very red long jackets are there, but the pants are nowhere to be seen. Instead there are long and short length constructed dresses in sheer and opaque combinations and some short jumpsuits underneath the long coats. Stella McCartney is going for over-sized outerwear in tartan, pinstripe and soft block colours with sheer silhouette.

Designer Jyoti Sachdev Iyer wants you to ditch the pants for a flared skirt and on a formal note endorse a lehenga with a long coat. “Skirts bring a certain spark while the long jacket-trouser combination can be quite monotonous. With so much of fun happening with neon colours, it’s time to ignore the seriousness of things and bask in skirts of bright shades with a long jacket for warm company,” she says.

“Make room for long dresses too,” reminds designer Rimi Nayak, adding, “A well constructed silhouette that allows a generous flow down the waist makes for a pretty picture with a long jacket. Instead of typical structured jackets, try draped jackets for a different look. Prints and appliqué will highlight the jacket well with a dress. Play with contrasting colours in raw silk, cotton and crepe.”

Designers Kapil and Mmonika make a strong case while underlining a simple fact. “The most important thing to keep in mind while donning a long coat is to make sure to incorporate it with the rest of your outfit. Look fashionable and be comfortable in a midi. An asymmetrical knee-length dress goes well with a long coat as the hemlines meet at almost the same level. Since layering is the toast of the season, a gorgeously textured blue and gold long coat or a black and camel coloured one are great options,” confirms the designer duo.

Designer Vandy Mehra thinks long jackets qualify for a ‘neat look.’ While discarding the ‘done with it’ pants, she likes to exude the boardroom aura by teaming long jackets with pencil skirts. She says, “Pairing a well-tailored dress with a long jacket is trending high. Neons or tangerines are good to spruce up the look. Deeper tones like blues and blacks lend a formal aura. The winter chill being perfect for thick fabrics, velvet, brocade and raw silk will rule the roost this season. These can be funky or more ornate with zardozi and tilla work.”

On the fusion note, she suggests, “Your floor-length kalidar kameez can look pretty with a long jacket. The right balance underlines the entire look, as too bold pieces clash and end up looking garish. So if the inner wear is jazzy, settle for a subtle jacket.”