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

White Wash

It is that time of the year when ideally we would love to frolic naked and feel cool. But we, Homo sapiens, left the Stone Age long back and have become ‘very civilised’ by covering ourselves. So the next alternative is to get garbed in clothes, which cover us but still allow us to breathe from the trapped urban lives.

For city inhabitants the mantra of keeping cool at work place and also at evening poolside parties is to dress in easy-to-wear chic, lightweight, non-wrinkly garbs, which would see us through the sweaty days.

“The colours which would be dominating this Spring-Summer (SS) would be shades of white -- off whites, pearly whites or prints on white background. Of course, the other light colours of mango yellow, lemony yellow, light pink etc will be seen. But the colour of 2009 SS would be WHITE,’’ says Delhi-based designer Raakesh Agarvwal.

And when it comes to fabric, cotton rules the line. You cannot go wrong with this fabric. There are so many variants in cotton -- scratchproof, wrinkle-free, waterproof, stretch cottons and, of course, eco-friendly cottons. There are even lightest-weight (almost featherweight) cottons available today. For climatic conditions such as ours, these fabrics are simply great. The latest to hit the designers this season is Italian cotton. Imported from Italy, the fabric has a shimmery sheen on one side, making it an easy-wear fabric for evening wear. It definitely suits office goers and teens, as it is comfortable and chic, and it can be easily jazzed-up for an evening out with suitable accessories. Of course, there are other varieties of fabric -- modal, silk, cotton, linen etc. Bamboo-Lycra is one eco-friendly fabric that's very hot right now! And mull has been in vogue since the days of Cleopatra.

	“I am normally drawn to earthy, sublime colours. There is nothing like cotton and natural fabrics. My next collection is all khadi cotton woven in Nagaland,’’ says Imcha Imchen, a Nagaland-based designer, who would be showcasing at the upcoming Lakme Fashion Week. Rimi Nayak, another young designer, prefers earthy colours too. She says, “I love Indian
textiles with an emphasis on the ageold craft techniques and embellishments that vividly capture the splendour of Indian heritage. Earthy muted tones are my favourite colours for this season.’

Allen Solly too has launched its Spring-Summer ’09 collection for women. The collection has a contemporary look with elements of femininity and a fashion forward visage with a philosophy to excite and inspire. They have two collections, American Prep and Safari. The Prep has the influence of the ’70’s with a very preppy, sporty style. Besides the colour of the season, white, it also has clothes in yellow and red and, of course, the neutrals have bold, pop-bright prints to give a stylish look.

The Safari has urban and rural designs merged together. They have another line, the Prints, which they claim is inspired from tribal motifs. The colours are a palette of weather-washed brights used with environmental bases of stone and sky and olive.

GANT, another premium lifestyle apparel brand, too has come out with SS ’09 collection. The European elegance is draped in international silhouettes style. It features two inspirational themes: Modern Nautical with an array of sun-kissed colours and Travel and Safari with a dash of fashion, elegance and comfort. Fabric linen and green, red and pink colours dominate their collection. The wrinkled denims and button-fly bottoms add the perfect American rugby style, perfect for a casual evening out.

Tommy Hilfiger’s SS collection features sturdy cotton treatments which are used throughout this line in red, white and blue colours to give a line of rugbys, polos, Oxford shorts and of course, the classic chinos.

Men and women are spoilt for choice for the spring-summer season, with such abundant array of clothing style available in the market. As Raakesh says, “As long as a person knows his body type and selects clothes accordingly, he can always look his best.’’