The heat is on, well summer is here and it is time to relook at your wardrobe and ensure that your clothes make you feel light, breezy and cool. Naturally summer fashion is a huge trend in itself and we look at what is making waves this season. As we embrace the blazing summer season, we all need a set of breathable and comfortable outfits in our wardrobes. Then whether they are for men, women or kids, the fashion realm has a trend for all.
New Vistas
With Indian handlooms gaining so much love and attention throughout the fashion industry, there is a whole lot of in-vogue fusion and ethnic fashion ensembles that one can pick this summer. “Cotton shirts dipped in earthy, natural colors and printed in hand block designs of crafts like Ajrak, Dabu, Indigo or Woven Ikat Shirt, short kurtas paired with a classic pair of chinos or linen trousers is a major head-turner for men. For women one can opt for quirky fit and flare, maxi or midi-dresses with accentuated sleeves, cropped into umbrella, elbow or a cold shoulder style. Quirky motifs and Indian Crafts like Ikat, Ajrak, Kalamkari and more are a rage this summer,” says Anupam Arya, Director, Fabriclore.com. Clothes made out of Cotton, Poplin and Rayon printed in quirky motifs of flowers, objects, automobiles, fruits and plaid checks crafted into frocks, shorts, loose pants, shirts, crop tops, skirts are bang-on options for the kids. Dimple Nahar, Owner & Designer Of 2Divine – The Lifestyle Temple says, “linen or cotton pants/chinos for men with pastel cotton shirts to beat the heat. Women could wear cotton kurtas and palazzos, long flowy dresses or skirts with a basic tshirt and kids could wear shorts and tshirts and girls could wear short dresses as well.” Jigyasa Jolly, Creative Director, Modo Caldo adds, “dungarees are a go to for both men and women, even kids. It is casual yet very chic. At Modo Caldo, we have given this popular street wear a twist. We have introduced wrap around dungarees that are a combination of dungarees and suspenders, making them super classy and easy to wear.” Soumen Das, Senior Marketing Manager of Skechers India says, “comfort is the only key that will help you get through the season. You must be familiar with the fusion of athletic wear and normal wear also known as athleisure. Athleisure is the trendiest and most happening fashion wear for this summer season.”
Do it Right
Keeping cool in summer is very important, therefore adorning clothes that allows skin to breathe should be the focus. “Wear loose but well fitted clothes to avoid skin rashes and shun away textiles that trap heat and do not absorb sweat like Satin, Brocade, Tussar Silk, and Wool etc. Opt for light tints and hues and strictly avoid dark shades of Black, Purple, Brown and Red. While embroidery is manageable, avoid apparels with too much glitter and hand-work. Not only does it bother our skin but also becomes an eye sore in the scorching sun,” says Krina Panjwani, Brand Head of Indian Ink. Fabric plays a very crucial role as the styling gets minimal this season. “Varying sizes of checks in different colours and patterns are widely seen across the globe. At Spykar we have a wide range of checks in various sizes, gingham checks to buffalo checks, plain tartan checks, graph checks, shepherd’s checks, windowpane checks and madras checks for the men’s and women’s range of spring summer 2018,” says Abhishek Yadav, Design Head Spykar Lifestyle. Anshul Paul, Director, Nargis adds, “summer is all about fun and trying different prints and pattern as printed design is liked by all and it’s a simplest and trendy look for the season. The current colour palette for spring summer 2018 comprises of a striking combination of cool and pastel colors. Shades of yellow are receiving a huge welcome in this season.” Latha Puttanna, Founder, Latha Puttanna avers, “this summer is all about natural fabrics, flowy cuts, and pastel shades. This season is for intricate work, floral designs, and flares. Wear light colors and natural fabrics. Avoid heavy accessories and tight fits.”
Trend Check
Customization, fusion and sustainable fashion are the most talked-about fashion trends of summer 2018. Ritu Seksaria, Designer, Ritu Seksaria says, “we have launched Baneरो as our new collection that has powder tones and muted gold work. These garments have a subtle legacy of traditional Indian textiles and also have a bit of an Israeli influence.” People no longer want themselves to be caught wearing the same outfit as someone on the streets. Sneha Mehta, Founder, Kukoonthelabel says. “another trend that is getting on the waves is the colour block patterns for both men and woman, from matching the light tops with the bright pants or wearing a dual tone shirt for your outings looks effervescent.” Summers are all about keeping it simple, casual yet opting for something that makes a bold statement with your look. “It is all about picking the right shade of pastel with a little bit of pop, along with silhouettes and cuts that make you feel comfortable even during hot sunny days. In trend are newest styles of shades and sunglasses. A shift from the big and oversized pair is angular and light tinted shades that add personality to your look,” says Shreyasi Pathak, Stylist Vajor. The 2018 spring summer fashion trends are a fabulous mix of pastels, florals, sequins, fringes, ruffles, checks and definitely fun and bold colours. This year socks are the new fashion statement. Quirky prints and bold colours are catching the eye of fashion connoisseurs. “Summer 2018 will also see experimentation with the type of sleeves. There are bell sleeves, cold shoulder, off shoulder, slit sleeves, petal sleeves, butterfly sleeves and many more styles that are making a statement this spring summer. Styles of 1960s and 1970s are back in town, Vintage florals, sequins, ruffles, frill and fringes are all back with a new twist. Ruffles and fringes are being used in dresses, skirts, blouses, shirts etc,” says Monica Oswal, Executive Director, Monte Carlo. Nidhi Yadav, Creative Head and Founder, AKS explains, “for the summer clothes, graceful lace cut, sews, layered patterns, asymmetric or pleated dresses, ruffled tops or crop tops with fringes are a big hit this season. Talking about the sleeves, leg-o-mutton ones and the 3/4th fringes or bell sleeves will be the must-to-have wardrobe styles.”
Material Matters
Summer-staple fabrics like Cotton, Muslin, Chanderi Silk, Georgette, Kota Doria and Linen dipped in pastel colors like beige, mint, aqua, fuchsia, off-white are the main stay of the season. Hand blocks and quirky patterns of flowers, bootis, jharokas, figurines, objects, animals, fruits, and more are being shaped into modern silhouettes. Saggar Mehra, Creative Director, Sunil Mehra avers, “blends like linen and silk, lighter and easier fabrics to breathe, cuts should be sharp edgy and lean and add contemporary and sports couture in everyday routine.” Deepa Reddy, Founder The Open Trunk adds, “in fabric, chiffons are always a big hit for its lightweight, its pastel shades and floral prints which ticks so many boxes of the summer look. Going by what was showcased at the Lakme Fashion Week, we expect to see a lot of Lucknowi lines be it dresses, kurtas, dupattas or sarees, from cotton to Chiffon and silk.” You can opt rayon, khadi, sustainable which is ruling the summer weather. “Sleeker cut, deep V-neck, off shoulder are cuts one prefer to have in their wardrobe. Pant-Jacket, crop top-saree, flowy gowns are the style making pieces this summer. Materials like organza, flat chiffon, rich satin also can work,” says Nishit Gupta, Director, Kalki. Dresses in the traditional Maheshwari cottons, matched Coimbatore cotton silks with Chinese collars are great. “The Tangail fabrics from Bengal become beautiful cape tops matched with ikkat pants. We focus on ethnic fabrics, weaves, embroidery, Indian attires of lesser known and undervalued rural traditions inspire them,” says Ursala Jung, Founder, Sihali Jageer. So get ready to embrace the summer and beat the heat with some cool apparel.
Summer Checklist
- Try not to expose your skin too much in the sun. Carry a stole preferably linen, mul cotton, or light silks like Chanderi or Tussar, whenever you step out in the heat.
- Go for summer and skin-friendly fabrics as against the usual, chemically-dyed polyester based fabrics. Fabrics like Cotton, Khadi, Linen, Mul, Chanderi Silk, Rayon are some the best options to beat the summer heat.
- Go for pastels and light summery shades as against their darker counterparts.
- Avoid synthetics as much as you can.
- Avoid wearing body-hugging outfits.
This story appeared in Apparel Magazine’s April 2018 issue here: Summer wear
All pics in this post are courtesy Fabriclore.com