Shouldering the style

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.”