May 17, 2007

Fareeda Hemani reviews the summer trends doing the rounds

The many joys of summer! Refreshing lemonades, luscious strawberries, cool whites, mango shakes, long lazy days, electricity break downs and, of course, summer vacations! Sweltering summers bring inconveniences, dehydration, many guilty pleasures and long awaited surprises as well.

As soon as the temperatures begin to soar, one of the favourite pastimes of the fairer sex is to storm the hotels and bazaars for exciting summer lawn prints, chappals, bags and accessories to revive their summer wardrobes.

This year has been no different! The leading textile and fashion houses have once again launched impressive summer lawn collections which truly display the creativity of this booming industry. Since the past few years, a number of designers have also been introducing their exclusive summer lawn collections through exhibitions at five-star hotels, where one witnesses an interesting fusion of eye-catching designs in startling colour combinations.

The young and talented textile designers this year have dabbled into anything and everything, coming up with a spectrum of diverse themes. From abstract, paisley, cheetah and butterfly prints, overpowering floral designs to Greek, Afghan and button inspired themes; one can find an appropriate theme whether one is feeling idyllic, playful or sporty.

Moreover, lawn suits stylised with laces, crochet, sequins, ruffles, buttons, metallic rings and crystals, complemented with chiffon dupattas add zing to one’s outfit, making them suitable for casual as well as formal and party wear.

Colours, too, are getting flamboyant and flirty this season. Although, the whites, neutrals, and classic black and white combinations are still around, fruity and daring splashes of colour in hues such as candy pink, lime and emerald greens, mango yellow, cool turquoises, mid-night blue and bright reds are also making a major comeback to zap life into the attires. The silhouettes continue to be sleek and smart but the kameez lengths are beginning to creep below the knees with cropped capri pants.

Of course, the complete look cannot be attained without the right choice of accessories and make up. While bejewelled flat chappals, dangling earrings and chunky bracelets continue their rule, the season’s most popular trend is metallic coloured handbags. In shiny gold, silver and bronze, these handbags adorned with metallic buckles and crystals are a must-have if you want to maintain your revered standing in high fashion circles.

The preferred look for the face continues to be natural and matt with bold eye makeup and glossy lips in subtle hues of pink. Not to forget, the all-important summer shades, the “aviator” or oversized sunglasses that protect almost the entire face and provide enough glamour to pose serious competition to any celebrity.

With these high-powered outfit and accessory options easily available everywhere, whether you are aiming to transform into an innocent goddess, a style diva or a serious professional, this summer you have ample options to choose from to match your personality and varying moods.