F A S H I O N - Surekha Kadapa-Bose ( Courtesy - BTW Magazine)

Sari baatein Fashion designers speak out unanimously for the sari as the outfit to be seen in, in this wet and rainy season Old Hindi film songs capture the essence of monsoon perfectly. You have the heroine wrapped in a six meter long sari that is rain drenched, circling around trees trying to woo the hero. Even today those images are fresh as ever in the minds of people. Who can forget the wet Madhubala being serenaded by an impish Kishore Kumar, 'Ek ladaki bheegi bhaagi si…'? Even today after almost 50 years, her oomph quotient is as high as ever.

So this monsoon, instead of dressing in unisex attires – jeans and tees – go for the sari. Especially, when saris have become trendy. You will look feminine and at the same time manage to emerge as a power woman.

As Delhi-based designer Asheeta Chhabra says, "When it comes to Indian wear, the sari has to be the most elegant and sensuous attire ever. It is the preferred choice of most celebrities as well these days. With the current

trends and the season, the best saris are of chiffons, georgette and net. They are extremely lightweight and simple, making it the perfect fabric for the season.

'Even if you get drenched while commuting, the lightweight material of these saris will dry soon so that work-ing in an AC office won't make you uncomfortable, whereas thick jeans and tops might be uncomfortable. If you aren't comfortable with chiffons, georgettes or net, opt for cotton silksor handloom cottons.

The best thing about this season is that colours have come back into vogue. Says designer Abdul Halder,"Pinks, red, dirty green, bottle green and even dark current blue or ink blueis quite a catch… There is nothing like pairing it with a nice sexy blouse as long as it suits your body type.''

Designers Kapil and Monika feel that even cotton saris are great for thisseason. "Lightweight saris with mini-mal sequined work on the borders area rage nowadays. Abstract and floralprints have made a comeback in fash-ion. For daywear they are really great!''

Echo designer Parvesh-Jai duo,"Lightweight saris are in big demand now. Girls and women prefer them as everyday wear. We use digital prints, hand paint and screen prints with little hand embellishments to construct these saris. These are light in weight and comfortable.''

But you need to accessorise saris well to put on show the oomph. Daytime accessories should be light. As designer Jaya Rathore says,"Lightweight accessories are more wearable at the time of monsoon- a simple watch or little earrings with a nice neck-piece should do.''

In fact with slightly different acces-sories, saris can be worn for evening or night parties too during monsoon. As designer Meera Gupta says, "In mon-soon heavy jewellery is nothing but a burden. So lightweight pendants or stone malas are apt. For special occa-sions one can go for solitaire, which gives a classy look and is easy to carry.''

Well every woman may not have a solitaire to flaunt. What you need to dois to go for a nice pair of long, ethnic earrings or pretty studs along with a chunky ethnic neckpiece and kadas that will add glam factor to the lightweight saris. Alternatively, you can wear a slightly embellished sari for special occasions. Like if you're wearing abright coloured sari, opt for a light embroidered border. If you are going for muted colours go for heavy embroi-dery like Swarovski crystals, shiningbeads, tinsels and badla work.