Ensembles by Khaadi Khaas and Shamaeel Ansari Wedding Wear
There’s a nip in the air and as we reach out more frequently for a hot cup of coffee, it’s time to start thinking ‘winter wardrobe’. It’s the season where layers dominate — with fluid linens paired with cosy stoles, plaid jackets, woolly shawls and high boots. Worn the right way, it can be pretty easy to work out a cool, style-savvy vibe. A cursory scan down the local and international runways reveals some great winter-wear options and here’s a rundown on how you could spin out some hot-off-the-ramp, head-turning winter look:
STYLISHLY ENTRENCHED
The flowing long coat can possibly be the easiest way to make a winter fashion statement. It’s baggy enough to hide unwanted bits of weight in its folds and it is absolutely diverse. Dress it up for the evening party, dress it down for the lunch and if you’re truly adventurous, pair it with a sharara at a wedding, as Ali Xeeshan did at this October’s PFDC L’Oreal Paris Bridal Week. Our favourite looks from the designer’s collection were the not-very-bridal structured trench coats in basic white and black. Cinched at the waist, the long coats swept the floor, with lavish embroideries peeping beneath them, twirling on a sharara and a short shirt.
Rounding up the top must-have fashion trends for cooler days ahead
Fabulous statement-making coats, in fact, have always been fashion week favourites. The Khaadi Khaas line-up from earlier this year at the PFDC Sunsilk Fashion Week featured a gorgeous long coat worked with zigzagging tribal motifs and funky floral embroideries. It had all the makings of a must-have, for winter and beyond.
Generation is possibly the only brand to quickly translate what it shows on the catwalk right on to its retail racks. The brand’s fashion week collection, Bring Basant Back, featured lightweight cotton wraps and now that winter’s around the corner, Generation stores are brimming with a range of long coats. There are basic long designs and others that resemble loose belted chughas. Fabrics range from cottons, for when it’s slightly cold, to raw silk for formal wear and linens for when it gets blustery especially for those outdoor weddings.
SLEEK IN SUITS
The suit could be winter’s savviest statement; androgynous in essence, tapered, sleek and smart. The basic business suit is great for a casual lunch, paired with a shirt that pops. However, for a rockstar look in the evening, make sure that you tweak the austere lines of your suit. Funky accessories always help and local designers invariably offer a number of suit options. Sania Maskatiya, for instance, creates beautiful evening suits in velvet, accentuated by sleek embroideries. Online brand Lulusar offers blazers with matching bootleg pants and Daaman often delves into fitted suit jackets in bold colours. Taking a leaf from international runways, local labels are opting mostly for matching separates: same-coloured pants with coats or if you’re a luxury wear label like Elan, a suit tailored in vivacious botanical prints.
THE VELVETEEN TOUCH
There’s no doubt that velvet is a winter wardrobe fixture but it needs to be worn the right way in order to slip away from generic boundaries. For the House of Shamaeel Ansari, velvet is a favourite, moulded into stiff high collars and exaggerated bell sleeves. Sonya Battla, in her latest collection dedicated to Amir Khusrau’s Urdu poetry, has created beautiful velvet kaftans etched with embroidered verses. Misha Lakhani’s winter range of formal wear includes an embroidered, short ‘Nawabi’ jacket with slits for sleeves and lined with silk. The velvet suit is a classic and, of course, velvet pants — embellished or plain — always work well for a chilly evening out.