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Business News/ Mint-lounge / Features/  Renewal ready
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Renewal ready

Classic yet always good for reinterpretation, some timeless styles are perpetually in fashion

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Fashion’s most iconic styles don’t just make personal wardrobes replete with history and story but work as indispensable key pieces to put together any contemporary look

Bandhgala

The bandhgala entered fashion closets with multiple passports. From Raghavendra Rathore’s Prince’s Coat to Giorgio Armani’s Nehru jackets; from Canali to Etro, Tom Ford, Paul Smith and Rajesh Pratap Singh, it has numerous personalities: Nehruvian, Rajasthani, royal, retro, contemporary. Stoic black and tailored with blink-and-miss details or in bright colours, velvet or leather accents, worn with jeans or jodhpurs, it is reminiscent of the classical idea of man: brainy and in control.

Little Black Dress

The LBD entered global fashion with Coco Chanel and Jean Patou, both French front-runners of lasting style. In 1926, Chanel declared black to be the only appropriate colour for standardized, economically perfect attire—till then it was worn by domestic helps of the world’s couture clientele. Chanel’s 1926 LBD was a long-sleeved, black crepe dress with straight stitch seams in an X-shape. Since then it has remained rooted on runways and in wardrobes, hailed as the eternally slimming garment. Fashion writer Margit J. Mayer called Karl Lagerfeld’s LBD for the new millennium “the merest, fragile wisp of black chiffon and yet a battle dress to be worn with flat, black boots".

Pearls

There is a picture of the late Gayatri Devi and former US first lady Jackie Kennedy (Onassis) from the latter’s visit to India in the 1960s. Gayatri Devi is in her trademark floral chiffon sari and Jackie O is wearing a blue, sleeveless shift dress. Besides regal presence, the other thing common between the two fascinating ladies in that photo are the pearls around their necks. Today, if the 86-year-old Queen of England wears them to look unwaveringly classic, pop music queen Lady Gaga glues them to her face to shock and awe.

Stiletto

Named after a dagger for good reason, the pointed, vertiginous shoe was revived in the 1950s by designer Roger Vivier and then in the 1970s by Manolo Blahnik. Shoemaker to the Hollywood stars, Florentine shoemaker Salvatore Ferragamo made the classic stiletto iconic even as Blahnik’s ultra-thin needle stiletto became a forever rage. In lace or leather, embellished with sequins, fur or rhinestones on precious silk, stilettos and toe cleavage remain an ongoing fetish—very retro modern. Christian Louboutin would agree, so would Marilyn Monroe.

1960s shift dresses

American TV series Mad Men didn’t just revive the career of its leading man Jon Hamm; it brought the 1960s back into the spotlight. The sixties of fashion got a special boost with Christina Hendricks as the buxom secretary sporting the cutesy, sexy shift dresses of the day. The sixties were all about the emancipation of women. The dress was reinterpreted as younger and hipper by many designers, including Marc Jacobs and Burberry.

Juttis

Embroidered, beaded or in plain, tanned leather for everyday use, the traditional slip-ons from Punjab and Rajasthan walked their way into stylish shoe racks and on to ramps. Unisex, ethnic or retro and attractive, juttis are worn with jeans, saris and skirts. Designers David Abraham and Rakesh Thakore took them to another level in 2010 with jutti wedges. “We had a collection of restyled Indian clothes, we needed footwear that was Indian, fashionable and would fit with the trousers and churidars," says Abraham.

The skirt suit

The skirt suit has been around since the early 20th century. Coco Chanel might have popularized the short jacket suit, but “French fashion designer Paul Poiret can be credited with its origin", says designer Hemant Sagar. With British fashion icon and designer Mary Quant’s contribution, the hemlines went up, and French designer Thierry Mugler made it more provocative with plunging necklines.

Lehngas

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The jumpsuit

Elvis Presley’s choicest on-stage ensemble has had more incarnations than most other fashion creations. Bright, patterned and bold, the sexy ones became must-haves in the 1970s and 1980s. Today the look books of most labels, including Lanvin, Stella McCartney and Dolce&Gabbana, sport the jumpsuit in a sexy, chic or fun avatar. Last week, Indian designer Nikasha Tawadey showed embellished jumpsuits in organza, velvet and Indian luxurious fabrics at the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week (WIFW) Autumn/Winter 2013.

Clutch

A must-have accessory of high society ladies since the Victorian era, the clutch remains the evening purse of choice. “It went out of fashion in the early 19th century, but came back in popularity during World War II," points out designer Rachana Reddy, known for her unique wooden clutches. Whether it is Judith Leiber’s extravagantly embellished clutches or signature knots by Bottega Veneta, “it is a status symbol to own a clutch by a luxury brand", adds Reddy.

Jadau jewellery

An ancient Mughal technique of precious stone setting in gold and a must-have for decadent Indian brides, jadau jewellery has been modernized by the trend of stand-alone jadau pieces. “Today with jadau statement pieces one does not need to go the traditional route of buying ‘sets’," says jewellery designer Alpana Gujral. Buying jewellery in “separates" makes it easier to pair it with Western clothes and casual attire. Gujral suggests investing in a statement jadaukada (bangle).

Corsets

The constricting innerwear of the 18th century derives its name from “corpus"— Latin for the body. Corsets were labelled “strangulating" and regressive in 20th century feminist narratives. But they wriggled out of this suffocating space to become a style statement. “Elegant and effortlessly wearable, corsets are now trending again on runways, red carpets, parties and more," says Suman Bharti, CEO and founder, CorsetWholesale Ltd. Worn with skirts and gowns or under a jacket for official meetings, the corset can take many avatars.

Anarkali

In Mughal emperor Akbar’s durbar (court), the name Anarkali evoked passion and censure. But as a classic wardrobe style, it became a de rigueur Indian silhouette. The modern makeover of the courtesan’s garb, most noticeably by designers like Manish Malhotra and Rohit Bal, gave the traditional Mughal frock created from endless yardage a fashion presence. In net, lace, velvet or chiffon, with Swarovski crystals, a halter-neck or even sleeveless, in shorter styles or longer ones, lavishly embellished to spell luxury, it has become a favourite red-carpet ensemble of Bollywood stars. Last week, at the WIFW Autumn/ Winter 2013 edition, in an unusual interpretation, designer Pia Pauro showed chiffon anarkalis worn with embellished knee-length boots replacing the churidar.

Brogues

A low-heeled shoe recognized by sturdy leather uppers with decorative broguing (perforations); modern brogues can be traced to old-style Scottish shoes in untanned hide. What your grandfather wore in black with his suits can today be red, block-heeled, as good for women, even worn with a skirt. “Brogue is a very dandy shoe. Unlike the Oxford, which is a bit fuddy-duddy, the brogue has so much scope to be reinterpreted," says designer Ravi Bajaj. Two-toned, sporty, animal print, polka-dotted and espadrilles brogues are only some of the many styles for this unisex shoe.

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Published: 23 Mar 2013, 12:47 AM IST
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