It's formal : Casual is in.
Gone
are the days when a formal occasion had men sweating in stiff black tuxedos while the ladies took hours tying on the six-yard wonder and teaming it up with bling.
‘Be casual’ is now a formal party-dressing call, what with jeans, T-shirts, crop tops and what the designers fashionably term as semi-formal attire ruling the wardrobes.
Fashion gurus speak about the makeover...
Talking about women, ace designer
Ritu Beri feels that formal isn’t on their list when it comes to dressing for parties, “Women no longer prefer being formal when it comes to dressing. Call it the changing trend, but they just love to dress casually.” Stating the reasons for such a change Beri avers: “Casual tops their list mainly because it suits their changing lifestyles and attitudes. Today, a woman not only wants to look beautiful, she also wants a certain level of comfort, which is not possible in a formal attire.”
But, wait a minute! Beri warns all the ‘casual’ lovers that casual dressing doesn’t imply being under-dressed. “A simple denim can be dressed up or down, and can still be appropriate for any function,” she says by way of an example.
Agreeing with Beri is designer Vikram Phadnis. “Seeing the large number of people preferring to go casual in parties, there’s no denying that formal dressing has taken a backseat. The office environment has completely changed in India and it’s more relaxed. It goes without saying that when the offices are giving preference to casual dressing, the trend definitely has to reflect in the party culture,” avers Phadnis.
But for ace designer Wendell Rodricks it’s the modern lifestyle that is not permitting Indians to go formal in parties. “Today, it’s tough to imagine a woman elegantly dressed in an evening gown trying to accommodate herself in a small car! Moreover, spending lakhs on a look for one night is surely a no-no for them.”
Right, that settles the scales heavily in favour of casual comfortable dressing even for special occasions. But designer Manish Malhotra categorically stresses that formal dressing continues on the party scene. Or rather, something that he terms as semi-formal.
“Formals are very much there on the party-dressing scene. The only difference is that they are now being worn as mix and match with
casuals. Semi-formal is what party hoppers today go for. A smart bandhgala, a blazer or even a smart sherwani is now being teamed up with jeans,” he explains, echoing Beri’s statement.