F A S H I O N - Srirekha Pillai (Courtesy - BTW Magazine)

Wobbly fat at wrong places can weigh you down, mentally and figuratively. If only tucking in that extra layer on the tummy or thigh were as easy as chomping on chocolates or lapping up that sinful scoop of your favourite ice cream. Well, help is at hand at last with every designer worth his thread having designs on how to mask that unpleasant layer of lard.

With smart cuts and design patterns in place, you can alter your size, sometimes even shedding as much as a size ‘visually’. Designer Riyaz Gangji, who gets requests from women and men who want to look slim and fit, says, “We are like surgeons who give our clients that perfect look through different
cuts in fabrics and designs. Given an option, a client will always go for a slimmer rather than a prettier look. It’s most important that we understand the need of our clients and give them what they want. After all it’s the magic of tailoring!”

Tapping into the craze for looking their best (read slimmer, trimmer and leaner) is Lee Jeans, which has introduced Diamond Cut Denims for women, an innovation in denim that claims to make women look slimmer with changes in cuts and stitches. Available in different fits, the secret of the Diamond Cut lies in features like higher back yoke and clever back pocket placement resulting in smaller hips; reduced front pocket scoops creating ‘longer’ legs; inseam moved forward to enhance a slimmer leg and absence of gap on the waist band, making it feel almost next to the skin.

Head of Marketing, Lee, Vipul Mathur says, “Looking slim has been a year-on-year resolution of most girls. And to make the resolution come true, Lee saw a need to innovate a product that makes one look slimmer and taller, taking the denim functionality to the next level – now your denim are not only the most comfortable thing to wear, but they also make you look slimmer, taller and lifts up your hip, giving you a whole new look that is sought after by many.”

Levi’s too with its Curve ID brings women closer to form fitting jeans. The custom fits based on the difference between the measurement of a woman’s hip and seat include Slight Curve for women with straight figures, Demi Curve for those who have even proportions and Bold Curve to honour genuinely curvaceous women. Slight Curve defines a woman’s waist while accentuating her curves; Demi Curve flatters a woman’s waist while smoothing her shape and Bold Curve is designed to hug the waist, without gaping. Shumone Chatterjee, Vice President for Marketing, Levi’s (Asia Pacific Division) says, “With Levi’s Curve ID, we are really changing the way women perceive their own body shape and shop for jeans. These are custom fit jeans that ‘love your body’ and let you style them with your own sexiness and personality.” For men too, it’s not about the size any longer, but the shape. The shape is characterised in a person’s torso by a little known factor called ‘Drop Value’, which is the ratio between the shoulders and the waist. The more prosperous we get, the more it reflects as a bulge around the middle, throwing the European system of Drop Value out of order.

Now, Arrow has come out with a range of suits which are altered to suit Indian men. Arrow’s Body Tailored Suits come fitted with Helsa shoulder pads from Germany to accentuate the broad shoulders, Laniere De Picardie chest canvas from France to give shape to the chest, bringing out the proverbial Vchest and Guterman thread to hold it all together with enough flexibility. The Body Tailored Suits range from 2-Button Suits to the Bandhgalas, Longcoats, Tuxedos, Washed Jackets and Piping On The Lapel Jackets.

According to Amod Choudhary, Marketing Head, Arrow, almost all ready made garments today are based on “average European physiology. Indian men have bodies far different from Europeans and hence most standard fits won't fit Indian men; they end up invariably choosing one size larger”, he says.

Denim Story’s Plié Control Range is seamless shapewear from Brazil which creates a slim silhouette under any outfit. It whittles your waist, tucks your tummy in, slicks out those love handles and tightens your tush and thighs. The Plié Control Range ranges from the Control Tube Dress which helps a women of any shape drop a size and show off a fabulous figure; the Control Bermuda High Waist with a unique silicone hold up hem that slims from just above the knee to just under the bust and is well suited to be worn under trousers, skirts or dress; and the Control Boxer High Waist launched with the comeback of the boxer shorts.

With so many options, go figure out and size up the right size you wanna flaunt!

Lee Diamond Cut Denims Price: ` 1,800 onwards

Arrow Body Tailored Suits: ` 6,499 up to Rs 29,999.

Denim Story: Rs 990 up to ` 5,470

Levi’s Curve ID: ` 2,000 upwards