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SWEATING IT OUT Look cool all day at work

Believe it or not, choosing your fabric and getting it tailored can work out better than buying branded formal shirts and trousers. The best of linens, linen-cotton, linen-lycra and cotton-lycra blends can be picked up from several stores in the city. It is also not difficult to find a treasure trove of imported fabrics for formal western wear.

Designer Puja Sahney, who specialises in formal wear, says, “Cottons and linens are prone to crease. Using small tricks such as giving a georgette lining to a cotton garment can make it fall elegantly. A heavier fall towards the bottom avoids wrinkles. Cottons and linens, when blended with some terry or wool, become wrinkle free. Pure linens are good to wear in air-conditioned offices but are need a lot of maintenance. They need to be hand washed or taken out wet if using a washing machine.”

Linen blends with small prints and mulmuls are good choices too. Choose your formal wear depending on the nature of work. “A pair of high-waisted linen trousers worn with a cotton shirt and a waistcoat can make you stand out in a crowd. Stick to lighter shades such as beige, browns, whites and off-whites. For instance, using one family of colours such as light brown, beige and white for a jacket-shirt-trouser set works best,” says designer Sashikant Naidu. He suggests a linen-lycra mix for fitted garments and adds a note of caution, “Indian women need to tailor such garments to suit their body type. Imported branded wear doesn’t always suit Indian sizes.”

Puja suggests kurtas with variations in Chinese collars that can be worn without cumbersome dupattas.

“Anarkali kurtas will continue to be popular and they help hide flaws if you don’t have well-toned abs. A-line kurtas and A-line skirts of knee-length or below knee-length can be custom-made to accentuate the entire look. For those who have to attend dinners or events post work, try tailoring two kurtas for one salwar or wearing an evening shirt to match the same business skirt worn during the day. Waistcoats also come in handy,” she says.

Try out capris and cotton stretches, says former NIFTian and designer Ishita Singh. “In colours such as lime, light green and peach, cotton stretches can be worn with smart tops. Shirts can have some elastic and tie-ups at the back or fitted shirts can be worn with high-waisted satin belts. Low-waist belts that ruled last year have been shown the door. Single pieces in cotton and stretch knit fabrics are also hot picks this season.”

Men, for once, have an edge over women as most men’s wear brands have wrinkle free cotton, and linen shirts and trousers. “Men tend to be better turned out than women in summers. Blues, browns, whites and steel greys are the shades for them,” says Sashikant.

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