Even cycling shorts can look sexy

SUMMER STYLE

This season girls prefer to glam it up with chic dresses while the boys are dressing  down with carefully lazy, laidback style. But a common thread that binds them together is a definitive individual streak of colour that weaves through their ensembles this summer.

Colour is clearly in.
Be it bright sneakers, coloured belts or funky accessories, the choice of unusual colours, interesting colour combinations and unusual accents are hard to miss. Bright, vivacious hues with undertones of basic beiges, greens and yellows; handcrafted embellishments and influences from far away lands hold great interest for fashion followers — makers and wearers. Actual fashion wear is heavily influenced by the street and clubbing. Chic dressing mixed with relaxed footwear. Printed vintage tees matched with corduroys.
Anu Nagappa, who recently launched her summer collection, says: “Short dresses are in. So is a chic and polished look. Dresses and shifts in lovely summer colours are selling well.”

Celebrating the good times
Designer Michelle Salins agrees. “This season you need to look youthful and bright and confident. Denims are popular as always. Knee-length boots with denims, cotton trousers or skirts are quite the rage. Shirt dresses in colours like metallic or solid fuschia add a lot more style and statement rather than an LBD. Sweater dresses are very in but in India,  the summer is at its peak, so similar styles but in cottons or linen akin to a shirt dress would also look cool.

“Cotton, footless tights can be teamed with soft cotton short-sleeved dresses, accessorised with a belt or a large necklace,” she says.
Michelle’s summer collection comprises simple cotton dresses with contrast trims and embroidery, cotton embroidered vests teamed up with fitted or ruffled tops and worn with jeans, spaghetti sequin tops with a slight flare, sculpted one-piece evening dresses and shift dresses with a dash of colour. “Style is all about living the new life and coming out of the traumatic economic situation of last year,” she says.
Priya Vasudevan, owner of Collage,a boutique, describes youth fashion as “young at heart, stylishly quirky and chic.” The smart casual look, according to her, defines summer fashion.

From business suits to beach wear
Sanchita Ajjampur’s idea of summer dressing is all about “glamourous maxi dresses, in prints, or in mixed fabrics of jersey and chiffon”.

Printed sleeveless dresses that morph into tunics when worn over trousers, easy A-line 60’s shifts, dynamic Grecian drapery, asymmetric off the one shoulder styles are the rage. She suggests that you team them up with handcrafted supple leather sandals and carry a satchel in warm brown or black to complete the relaxed summer look.

Though Sanchita does encourage you to pair a business suit with boots, or a pair of cords with vintage graphic tees and a keffiyeh scarf draped around the neck, her summer collection for men is all about classic tailoring. Her collection also has hats — particularly the fedora, the newsboy and the barre hat.

For women, she has put together a collection that has embellishments and striking colour blocking. Think fuchsia top and turquoise pants, orange top with purple bottoms, high-waist narrow pants, peg pants and dhoti pants. These are teamed with oversized printed canvas bags for the beach and flips flops. The colour blocking extends to her swimwear range as well.

Handcrafted bags and travel totes in woven leather, velvet and canvas with coated accessories for the day; masculine silhouette boyfriend t-shirts and elegant, tasselled sandals complete the look. Maxi dresses also form a huge part of her summer collection.