Currency Of Fashion

The new currency of fashion

From luxury fabrics to craft taking the limelight, NACHIKET BARVE predicts fashion trends for the new year that are here to stay.
Coco Chanel famously said, “Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.”
As we step into the new year filled with hope, excitement and some trepidation, the eternal cycle of fashion is also seeing a shake up. Domestically and internationally, designers and brands are contemplating the ‘see now-buy now’ model, social media has become the way trends surface, peak and get obsolete.
What we are looking at is a new order, where trends don’t matter, but the onus and joy of consuming fashion is left to the wearer to re-imagine it their way. However, here are a few guiding beacons that will help you curate your wardrobe and shop sensibly in the coming year. 

Luxe Fabrics

‘Less is more’ is indeed the new mantra. In a world that is filled with fast fashion, paring down and indulging sensibly is the way forward. Fashion is the second-most polluting industry after the oil industry, globally. Billions of clothes are being sent to landfills, people who make the clothes are poorly paid, work in abysmal conditions, and it’s about time we collectively awaken our conscience and make sensible choices that have a far-reaching impact.

Fabrics become the hero, as we see the emergence of luxurious fabrics taking centre stage, which are made well and built to last. Incredible innovation in textiles is seeing some beautiful fabrics. Invest in sumptuous silks, intricate brocades, shimmery velvets, versatile merino wool, and wispy cotton silk or diaphanous chiffon.Metallic accents stay relevant in new forms, whether through weaving, printing, lamination or even as applique and embroidery.

Florals

Miranda Priestly, the fictional fashion tyrant, quoted so derisively in The Devil Wears Prada , “Florals, for spring? Ground-breaking”. Flowers have always been a part of the fashion lexicon. However, as the world battles turbulent times, the sheer poetry of flowers transports us to times of innocence, beauty and exuberance.
Flowers continue to take centre stage in fashion, but are abstracted, enlarged, treated interestingly and made contemporary. Whether inspired by the Dutch paintings of the Golden Age as I was when creating ‘TULIPMANIA’, or inspired by the vintage wallpapers from England, flowers see an emergence in print, weaving, embroidery, laser cutting as well as in innovative materials, such as leather and metal. Treated with delicacy in tulle applique for Haute Couture or with a punk edginess for streetwear, florals are here to stay.

Mix and Match

Individuality is the biggest trend now, where fashion is about self-expression as opposed to conformity. Unlike the past, where designers dictated the length of a skirt or the appropriate dress for an occasion, we see a democratic approach to style. This is a wonderful thing, especially in the current financial climate. In fact, the sheer joy of fashion can be felt, as you are free to explore the stylescape to make your own story. Feel free to mix an embroidered jacket with an old kanjeevaram, or a dress that you have fallen in love with on the runway with handmade babouches from a flea market. Your grandmother’s angarkha may be worn with shredded au courant denim, or you could pair a crisp white shirt with a skirt you bought from your first salary. The only caveat is to dress up in a coherent way, not like something that emerged out of a hurricane-hit vintage store.
This is the only sensible way to build a wardrobe of beautiful things that are classic and hold their value well. It lets you develop your own style statement, invest wisely in clothes and is the only environment-friendly way to shop.

Craft

There can be nothing more soul uplifting than gazing at something that has been made with beauty, precision, using amazing technique. Mankind has always strived to push boundaries and create objects that carry civilisation forward. In an era of cheap, generic, disposable clothes that have instant gratification, we tend to overlook the richness of things that surround us. As the world is waking up to the value of things that are crafted, it’s time to invest in clothing that has history, innovation, beauty and a conscience. The biggest brands are celebrating craftsmanship as a way of differentiating their products from the highstreet copycats.
Whether it is an expertly appliqued motorcycle jacket, an heirloom Patola sari, an intricately beaded evening dress or a Merino wool dress with felt applique, let 2017 be all about appreciating the finer things and procuring, as opposed to rushing heedlessly through trends.

Monochrome magic

As materials become plush, and we demand more from our clothes, I see the celebration of monochromes as palette cleansers for the new year. The chicness of black and white, the serenity of indigo and inky blue, the glamour of wine and red — fashion will be like a quite whisper, as opposed to the white noise it is currently. The focus will be on pieces that can be incorporated into the user’s lifestyle and can be teamed with a current wardrobe, as opposed to impulsive indulgences. The serenity of the hues will also lend more space for materials and techniques to be better appreciated.

Sheer genius

Translucency will continue to play a key role this year too, as lightweight, airy fabrics rule runways and racks. The demure-yet-enticing glimpse of wrists, clavicles and calves will bring a new sensuality that’s reminiscent of the 30s and 40s. Whether expressed in the folds of a muslin or organza sari, or a sheer panel in a bias-cut long evening dress, the fine sieve of fabric will continue to inspire and celebrate femininity and glamour in its many interpretations.
Refreshing old Chanderi saris tucked away in the back of your closet, shopping for washed Habutai Silk palazzos, layering a tulle dress with soaring swallows over a bias-cut crepe slip or transforming the dupatta into a cape that lets you twirl away at a wedding — the coming year hopefully will be tinged with moments that let you cherish memories for a lifetime.