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What's hot this season

Silks and tussars are back. And, the colours to be seen in this Deepavali are pinks and blues

PHOTO: M. MOORTHY

STYLE STATEMENT Bright colours are in now

If Deepavali is about sweets, gifts, oil baths and crackers, it is also about new clothes. Remember the rustle of new silk as your mother walked in with a tray filled with goodies to celebrate the festival of lights?

Time was when women would wait for Deepavali to pick up that one truly special saree . And Deepavali is when the creativity of manufacturers comes to the fore. They let their imagination run riot and flood the market with silks and tussars, brocades and tissues, crepes and patolas. Now, fashion designers and TV soaps have joined the league, dictating what today's woman should look like. As for the wallet factor, it's open sesame.

The rush in front of stores started long before Deepavali and it is only growing by the day.

Even stores known for their exclusive stuff and niche clientele are witnessing crowds like never before. And this year, silks are in with a bang. "People experiment while buying for Deepavali, but tradition is still in," says Radhika who runs an outlet. "Computer motifs are slowly being replaced with traditional ones like bavanji, mayilkan and the mangaa."

In silk, the texture and finish still matter. Twill and satin are in. And, the focus has shifted from just the border or pallu to the sari in its entirety. Her colours for this season? Pastels and turquoise. Nalli Silks, known for its traditional weaves and designs, has launched five designs under its Nayagi collection for Deepavali. In one of the designs, the border merges with the silk without the usual embossed look. Another has done away with the border, opting instead for an elaborate pallu. "This is a two-in-one sari that allows people to get embroidery done on the border if they want to," says A.M.S Selvam, Manager. His choice of colours? Gold, pink and copper sulphate. Though Nalli has contemporary designs, he says it is tradition that sells any day.

R. Jagadish, partner of a silk showrooms, says that the lighter tussars with chamki work and embroidery have caught the fancy of shoppers. As for colours, they sell a lot of baby pinks, sky blues and greys.

Despite the preference for solid silk, embroidery still rules the roost in some stores. "This year, silk with embellishments has been doing very well. There's lots of embroidery, sequins, thread work, kundan, zardosi and computer embroidery," says Vasanth Kumar, who has been in the business for a while. "People usually go in for lighter stuff during Deepavali. So, they opt for the medium range. However, woven silks like Benarasi are also doing very well. Bright, deep colours are in this season. Like reds, maroons and blues."

SUBHA J. RAO

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