Shouldering the style

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The New Year is well on its way and it’s time to revamp your wardrobe with the latest trends. According to fashionistas, 2016 is seeing and will see a lot of people flaunting their off-shoulder outfits.

    From ruffled tops and jacquard corsets to shoulder cut-outs and one-shoulder outfits, the trends are many and varied. Pratiksha Hegde, a Bengaluru based designer says, “Off-shoulders is a very Western concept, however, now it is incorporated into Indian designs, sari blouses, for instances.  Plenty of innovative off-shoulder designs are coming in with Indo-Western looks. One can wear a gorgeous sari with an off-shoulder blouse. Mostly, fabric lace, organic tissue fabric and printed fabrics are commonly used to make blouses.”

  She adds, “However for dresses, off-shoulder goes well with floor-length gowns — georgette and chiffon being the materials used. They are feasible to wear as it can be layered perfectly. Accessorising your off-shoulder outfit with huge neckpiece or earrings can do the trick. And to shield yourself with the cold breeze, top your outfit with a stylish jacket, shrug or a stole. With an off-shoulder outfit, one can either dress it up or dress it down.”

Claiming the off-shoulder look to be one of the hottest looks of this year, designer Pria Kataria Puri says, “Off-shoulder designs can be found in tops and dresses, making it versatile and extremely popular.”

She says, “There are many ways to wear an off-shoulder top, and can easily be layered with a vest. If it is an off-the-shoulder dress, just add some leggings. From off-shoulder tops and shoulder cutouts to asymmetrical necklines, this trend is going to be quite versatile with plenty of options — from day wear to evening wear.”

According to Karn Malhotra, showing off the toned collar bones is a big trend this year. He says, “Many celebrities are spotted flaunting the off-shoulder look and I bet this style will continue to rule in 2016.”

He adds, “With tops and dresses with bare shoulders, which makes one feel like a Spanish dancer in the summertime.”

Designer Shibani Sanghvi says, “Off-shoulder is going to be one of the ruling trends in 2016. You can style it with chunky chains and tassle earrings for a casual night or accessorise with a subtle diamond neckpiece and black pumps for a classy dinner date. Frilly off-shoulder tops in pastels with some lace work give a very boho look. This style is sure to be very popular with young fashionistas this year.”

The designer duo Rutu-Neeva feel the off shoulder outfits can be sported by women with any body type especially the Indian body type.

Neeva says, “Given the fact there was a lot of attention to the neckline in the past, we have off- shoulder ruling the fashion scene now. One can explore different styles in off-shoulder style — cut-out shoulder, off- shoulder, asymmetrical neckline to name a few. It also helps especially the Indian body type to explore different styles. One can go for the off-shoulder sleeves with cut-outs or explore off-shoulder in shirts where there is a collar. Off-shoulder blouses give a very cowboyish look, and can be sported for a formal or casual outing. And of course, the off- shoulder little black dress is a classic outfit.

She adds, “To complete the look, I would not recommend going overboard by accessorising. The purpose of an off shoulder dress or top is to give more focus to the shoulder blade. A simple bobble stud instead would do wonders to the look. For shoes I would recommend stilettos for a dress or stick to sneaker shoes if you are wearing an off shoulder top with basic baggy jeans.”