A splash of colours

While the cricketers sweat it out on the pitch, it’s haute couture at its best in the lounges at the IPL matches that are held in the city. Walk through the different lounges and stands during any of the matches and you will see how the fashion changes with each lounge.  

Women, especially, are making a style statement and making heads turn with their wide choice of attire. From long dresses, short summer dresses, floral tops, sleeveless T-shirts and shorts to more exaggerated forms of dressing, the IPL has got people’s imagination running wild when it comes to flaunting fashion.     

And men are also not far behind here. Spotted amidst a sea of red at the Chinnaswamy Stadium during the recent match were three men who wore something really catchy. Jamison Fletcher from Australia and his friends Jari Aro-Heinila and Timo Saarotmaa from Finland wore royal suits which resembled that of a ‘maharaja’.

They had hired the costumes exclusively for the match. “I came here for the Test match between India and Australia and decided to stay on for the IPL. I love India and can never get enough of the place,” said Jamison. Timi Saarotmaa added, “I think it is fun to wear an unusual costume. It is a bit heavy and sweaty but I am enjoying every bit of the attention that I am getting.” The expatriates had a lot of people scrambling to take selfies with them.
 
There are many who shop exclusively for the IPL and Jeny D’cruz is one of them. “It’s important to look good and dress well to a match because this is an excellent platform to socialise and make friends,” said Jeny. She also makes it a point to post her picture on social media every time she goes to attend a match. There were many among the spectators who wore something in red in support of RCB. Dimpy Kalsy slipped into a red top to show her support for RCB.

Her daughter Geet Kalsy wore a blue jumpsuit. “It’s important to look good because the IPL is also a time when you can experiment with fashion to stand out in the crowd,” said Geet.

The P2 lounge has an interesting mix of people. West Indies cricketer Kieron Pollard’s wife Jenna Ali and children Janiya and Kaiden wore the Mumbai Indians team jersey. “The team jerseys are stylish and signify support. It also adds to the spirit of the game,” said Jenna.

For many, the IPL matches offer a perfect outing with family and friends. Banani Chakraborthy, a software professional, decided to bring her friend Binita Chauhan to one of the recent matches. The two women also made sure they dressed up for the occasion. “I decided to wear a floral dress because it has a splash of red which is RCB’s jersey colour,” said Banani.

Binita added, “This is the first IPL match that I am attending and I wanted to look my best yet feel comfortable. Given the heat, I thought a printed dress would be perfect for the occasion.” Shahin Amrolia, a homemaker, couldn’t agree more when she said, “It is important to dress light and wear comfortable clothes to IPL matches because of the diverse crowd. I thought a sleeveless T-shirt would beat the summer heat really well,” she said.