T O P L I N E - Surekha Kadapa-Bose ( Courtesy - BTW Magazine)

Dressed For College

The best times of one’s life are the teen years - bindaas, carefree, vivacious, a time to experiment, a time of high attitude and of course a hunger to make an impression. At this stage you are neither here nor there!

Besides physical development even the outlook changes. Cartoons are get replaced by shows like F.R.I.E.N.D.S, Scrubs, Seinfeld; film idol Daniel Radcliff makes way for Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, and Keanu Reeves; and long telephonic conversation with friends who suddenly become one’s lifeline defines the teens.

Along with all these changes, even the attire undergoes a sea change. Being trendy becomes the most important agenda of the day and creating the right impression on the first day of high school or college becomes a matter of life and death. The hitherto neglected mum’s women’s magazines and ads of popular brands of apparel get the longest dekko.

Brands like Tommy Hilfiger, Cotton World, Proline Apparel, designer Anita Dongre’s AND collection; apparel outlets like Westside, Globus and even sports brands like Adidas, Reebok and others take great interest to woo this age group. The chic and casual outfits created by designers working for brands and retail outlets are hot favourites with teenagers and those in their twenties.

These clothes cater to all young pockets - Rs 500 onwards - and in discount sales prices dip to as low as Rs 200 for a top. Bottoms like denims, jeans, skirts, and leggings are in Rs 800- 20,000 price band. These clothes come in skin friendly fabrics like superfine cotton, Lycra, linen, denim, silk, satin, and chiffon; synthetic fibres are big no-no for young skins need fabrics that breathe.

Past puberty kids, especially girls, like to ape adults. But they must remember that what looks good on a 30-plus Aishwarya Rai or Angelina Joile will definitely not look good on them. Besides beauty, they have age on their side which itself brings in oodles of confidence. By and large, teenagers are not a confident lot and if they adopt an attire they are not comfortable in, they will end up looking a mess.

Young people should keep things simple and classic, nothing in-your-face or over the top. It is okay to be a little trendy, but they have to learn to adapt to trends that suit them and should never become trend-chasers because every trend does not suit every one. At this age they should make mothers their best friend and take her advice. Elder siblings would also do.

The current trend according to the AND prêt line is to have T-shirts with leggings or over jeans. For example, a white knit tee with folk or any other exotic print on it can be teamed with a contrast red colour belt. This can be worn either with a pair of skinny denims or leggings. If you have long slim legs, these outfits will look fabulous.

For a slightly dressy affair for sunny or rainy days wear a white or any softly coloured strappy chikan top. Any top with ethnic fabric dyed in vegetable dyes and styled for the younger generation looks perfect. You can wear it with either capris or a skirt for a great carefree rainy look. Even if drenched, you will still end up looking good.

Long-length tunics, kaftans, and summery dresses are back in fashion. They come in bold paisley and geometric patterns, floral prints in an array of colours like olive, lemon drop, mint magic, and purple. To complete the look, highlight your dressing with leggings, beaded necklaces and crochet belts.

The Tommy Hilfiger collection finds its roots in classic American design archetypes: the trench coat, the shift dress, the navy blazer, and the romantic blouse. This season, they have given their range a modern spin using razor-sharp cuts and luxurious fabrics like silk, jersey, crepe, and chiffon. In addition to the classic red, white and navy, the palette is neutral: khakis, whites, and shades of peach sorbet.

The young woman’s collection includes a piped trench coat made from heavy canvas sailcloth that gives a nautical touch. The iconic 60’s shift dress - the staple of cosmopolitan women of yore like Grace Kelly - is now grown up and sexy, accessorised with the right two-tone heel and a souvenir scarf.

The country club blazer, complete with brass buttons, has been reworked with a slimmer, smarter European silhouette. High-waist trousers are paired with flowing silk blouses.

For young men they have jaunty, fitted jackets and slightly pegged pants.

The classic Rugby shirt gets an upgrade with French cuffs and a pique collar, which works easily under a suit for a no-tie-required dress code. Khaki trousers paired with a white dress shirt and a basic trench coat is straightforward European elegance at its best. This attire looks great for a passing out day celebration.

Westside, the fashion house of the Tatas, have stylish, practical and incredibly comfortable clothes in a beautiful array of vibrant colours like fuchsia, emerald green, almond blossom pink, stripy ice blue, pepper red among others. With a range that varies from bold geometric prints to flirty feminine attire, these outfits are affordable for junior collegians or the just-out-of-school girls.

They offer a varied collection of cotton and Lycra T-shirts, multipocket trousers, shirts with turn up and elbow length sleeves. Adornedwith metallic embellishments, the collection is available in earthy tones like malboro stone, beige, bluebell, and chocolate brown among others. These go very well with capris, shorts and denims.

Inspired by the flavour of French nautical themes, Cruise has a range of shirts, high waist trousers, and crop jackets for young men, available in vibrant colours like white, royal blue, jade rock green.

Another mode of dressing that has gained popularity is sporty wear. It may be due to the popularity of sports like tennis, cricket or the sportspersons. Every other teen would love to dress up like Maria Sharapova, Sania Mirza, Sreesanth and others. Keeping this in mind, Proline’s Academic Sports has introduced a clean, classic sportswear with elite breeding.

These garment’s detailing consists of colour blocking with innovative cuts in vivid colour combination using prints and embroidery as the medium for graphics with different textures and techniques to impart a clean look. Number usage in prints and sports related graphics are used with strong punch lines.

With so much available in the market the young ones are spoilt for choice. They should create their own style. It is important to keep in mind that when considering the complete picture of your teen fashion is not to wear an ultra trendy, rightoff- the-runway look, which would be difficult to carry off everyday. You should look good but nothing too dressy or attention grabbing lest you send wrong signals.

Another advice: Browse the Internet for teen fashion; you will be able to keep up with what is in and out in the international teen fashion scene.

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From the Tommy Hilfiger Collection

From the Westside collection

From the Westside collection

From the Proline Academic Sports collection