Our style is on fleek, yo!

Gone are the days when people used to look up to Bollywood for fashion inspiration. Kollywood’s fashionistas have been giving some serious fashion goals over the past few years! With the emergence of new trends in accessories, and revamping clothing staples, style-wise 2016 has been a great year. Here’s Kollywood fashion report card for 2016.

The saree gets a makeover
Our starlets wore subdued sarees in pastel with simple designs and quirky prints on the blouse. In Theri, Samantha owned this look by pairing it with simple silver jewellery and braids. We were just as stunned as Vijay looked in that scene! Nayanthara was spotted in a similar look at the SIIMA awards this year, and looked every bit a goddess in that attire. Her chunky silver jewellery became a rage.

Rakul Preet made the saree look modern and edgy by adding elements like a suspender blouse to it. “Events are the best opportunities to experiment with clothes, as we have to stick to a character in films. I was excited to try such looks,” says Rakul.

The ‘silver’ lining
It is safe to say that silver, which has always played second fiddle to gold, finally got its due by being adorned by almost every fashion icon. Oxidised silver jewellery were quite a rage this year, and we totally loved it too.

Celebrity stylist Neeraja Kona, who styled Nayanthara at the SIIMA awards, says, “Nayanthara is one actress who can carry off the ethnic vibe very well. We decided that the look be minimalistic with the focus on the jewellery.”

Men get classy
Our men are not far behind in the race to look their fashionable best. While more actors are taking the effort to look good in their films, the boss just trumped them all with just one movie. Rajinikanth in Kabali was no less than iconic. Costume designer Anu Vardhan stuck to sober colours like grey and blue and fabrics like linen and wool to give the clothes a mature look. Rajini also made the beard an enviable look for men again.

Coming close on the heels of the Superstar is Vijay who looked slick in urban, crisp shirts in Theri. Sivakarthikeyan, whose stardom increased manifold through Remo, added colour to the already vibrant film with his youthful choice of clothes.

Handlooms make a comeback
Handloom fabrics like khadi, jute, and printing techniques like ikats and block printing made a comeback into the fashion scene — and did not restrict themselves to ethnic wear. We loved Samantha’s ikat crop-top and skirt and Regina’s take on the print with a maxi-wrap and skirt.

Keeping it professional
Tamannaah sported work-wear goals in Thozha, with her pencil-cut dresses in deep colors like maroon, burgundy and bottle green. While her fashion was high-end, actress Keerthy Suresh kept it ethnic with her bright and chic kurtis and churidars in Remo.

The ‘stylist’ factor
More celebrities now prefer to take the help of a stylist to put a look together for a film or an event. “An actor’s looks are talked about so much, they get photographed a lot, so they are now taking extra care on how they look. So having a stylist takes some pressure off them, and a good collaboration can bring out some very pleasing looks” says Neeraja.

Rakul adds, “A stylist understands our body language, they know what works and what doesn’t. I’m happy this concept has caught on in the South film industry.”

On 2017, Neeraja says, “Fabrics from the 90s like velvet will take centrestage next year and trends like chokers and off— shoulder outfits are here to stay!”