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Dress me up!
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Shirt-dresses, tunics and dresses for every reason and season are the hottest buys now. Sangeetha Devi Dundoo takes a closer look
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Photo: Atul Kasbekar
Prints ‘n’ weaves Model Sheetal Menon sports a Surily Goel outfit –
The little black dress has always been considered a classic piece young women cannot do without. For most Indian women, the stylish black dress was also a reminder to the fact that they needed to knock off a few kilos to look truly flattering in the
outfit. With a vengeance, dresses are back in vogue and are now made to suit Indian women. Dresses, tunics and shirt dresses are what you will find at lifestyle stores and boutiques across the city as part of Fall/Winter 2007 collection. The Wills India Fashion Week and the Lakme Fashion Week had many designers showcasing dresses and tunics for spring/summer 2008 as well.
“Dresses compliment the average Indian woman and help to hide her flaws. Dresses can be styled to suit any occasion and season,” says designer Kedar Maddula. The change began when college goers turned to the kurta and wore the thigh-length versions with denims and trousers. Tunics, an extension of the same trend, took over a year ago. Tunics with asymmetrical and symmetrical hemlines in bright floral prints, or in plain cottons highlighted with large buttons, made their way into many wardrobes. Wear them with calf-length tights, capris or denims and you cannot go wrong.
Shirt dresses with collars and a waist belt are classic pieces today, says Kedar. “It’s a kind of tunic that can be worn on its own or with trousers. Shirt dresses in linen and cotton are semi-formal and suit even the workplace. Similar outfits can be made using satin or corduroys for evening wear. To make them more glamorous, the cuffs and collar can be of a contrast fabric and print.” If you’re wearing tights or capris, choose shirt dresses and tunics that do not go below the mid-thigh level.
Dresses that stop at or above the knees are best worn as single pieces. “This time there’s a lot of demand for dresses, especially since there’s more variety. Designer Surily Goel’s summer/spring 2007 collection was predominant with dresses. Going by the demand, she designed some more pieces in shades of blue and black for this winter,” says Smita Shroff of Elahe.
Leading brands like Ginger, Code, Pepe and Jealous now have tunics and dresses in fabrics ranging from soft cottons to jerseys. Brands like Allen Solly have shirt dresses and tunics in cottons with subtle floral prints ideal for work wear.
A twist to the whole phenomenon of dresses and tunics is the shift dress.
Reminiscent of the 60s, these dresses in a-line cuts are structured on top and flowy below the waist.
For the adventurous, there are the bubble skirts and voluminous dresses of a similar kind.
Get the basics
■ Tunics can be worn with denim or cotton capris, leggings or trousers.
■ Shirt dresses can be worn with trousers for semi-formal occasions and on their own for casual outings.
■ Dresses are worn as single pieces. For day wear, flowy fabrics like soft cottons with prints and large buttons work best. Dresses for evening wear are more fitted and come in satin, jersey or corduroy fabrics.
■ Shift dresses, typical of the 60s, are comfortable to wear thanks to their a-line cuts.
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Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Madurai
Mangalore
Puducherry
Tiruchirapalli
Thiruvananthapuram
Vijayawada
Visakhapatnam
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