In the age of aping the West, switching to ethnic wear comes as a pleasant breather for fashion buffs who look for style with comfort.
Picking the ethnic once in a while makes you look not just neat, but also much pleasing to the eye. Be it cotton, silk, raw silk, khadi or jute, accessorised with pearls, wooden beads, mirrors... there is so much to choose from when it comes to the fabric, style and design. No wonder styles from Fabindia, Cotton Cottage, Hakoba and the likes are still very much in vogue! Shares 25-year-old Marketing professional Sayali Thokle, who has a hectic schedule and still looks her best even in the hot Mumbai weather. “Ethnic wear is something that can never be out of style. There is a huge variety and range of prices, making the stuff affordable for everyone – students to working professionals,” she says, further adding, “For work, I often wear printed cotton kurtas with an embroidered or printed border for sleeves and the neckline. This goes well with skinny jeans or cotton pants. The attire doesn’t look too formal or casual.” She also says that for parties, she prefers either raw silk salwar kurtas or plain cotton kurtas with a rich, expensive silk dupatta or a pashmina.
Pune based Designer Radhika Sathe says that ethnic fabrics look better with earthy tones and such outfits along with mojris or Kolhapuri chappals and bead necklaces or wooden or jute-covered kadaas, complete the look and makes one stand out in the crowd. Bubbly teenager Sakhi Paranjpe, who always goes for ethnic and handmade stuff while selecting clothes or accessories, says that she even has colourful cotton earrings and bangles to go with her earthy shade kurtis. “The plain, unsophisticated appearing accessories become surprisingly stylish... all you need to do is team the right stuff together and wear it to appropriate occasions,” she shares, adding that her mother often wears khadi-silk or cotton sarees for evening parties, along with a big bindi and a silk clutch. “She looks very elegant and classy that way,” Sakhi says.
Fashion Designer Sheetal Banavalkar-Kolwalkar or Pune’s VB Banavalkar Tailors says that many stores even have great cotton or silk handbags and clutch purses to go with the outfit. “College girls these days prefer cotton handbags and party-goers often pick the popular raw silk purses. These accessories accentuate the overall look, without making one look garish,” she says. Apart from that, Sheetal also says that the ethnic stuff isn’t too expensive for those who are a little low on the budget. “Cotton bags come for as low as Rs 120 and kurtis for the lowest price of Rs 100 to Rs 150. Of course, for those who wish to be a little extravagant, there are branded stores offering silk clutches for over Rs 1000, raw silk or cotton sarees for about Rs 5000 and kurtis around the same range,” informs Sheetal. While Radhika says that even the footwear comes in all price ranges depending on what kind one looks for; plain printed cotton or jute ones might cost around Rs 200 and Kolhapuri chappals might even go as to as low as Rs 80. However, if you go for silk or embroidered footwear, it might be much more expensive.
It doesn’t just look elegant and soothing to the eye, but ethnic wear also comes light on the pocket, apart from being most convenient! Have you decided your look yet?
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