You’ve just got back from your Prosecco-soaked New Year holidays and embraced work with great gusto. However, if the past weeks of hectic partying entailed heavy-duty metallics and disco pieces then the post-celebration phase calls for recontextualising your wardrobe and investing in pieces which are easy breezy, forgiving and timeless.
Think Love Bird’s comfy dresses, Anavila’s handloom saris and anti-fit offerings from Bungalow Eight. To sum it up, one’s looking at a closet brimming with earthy linen, comfy cotton and handwoven khadi in voluminous, slouchy, and breathable shapes as well as silhouettes.
Fashion entrepreneur and founder of Clove store in Colaba, Samyukta Nair suggests throwing out the unworn and ill-fitting as it will free your mind to focus on your most important occasion, which is every day. “Keeping versatile easy separates that can be dressed up or down would be on the top of my wish list for 2019. Comfort is key and I would recommend veering towards easy pieces, be it in silhouette or fabric, which make each day a luxury. After all, it’s the woman that defines the dress,” says Samyukta.
The new year is the perfect time for a post-holiday closet detox. You get to start it on a clean slate and discard the unused. While doing this, it is equally important to keep in mind upcycling and recycling. Designer Saaksha of label Saaksha & Kinni observes, “We tend to hoard clothes for years — many never see the light of day, yet we feel so sentimental and at times insecure that we hang on to garments, we know, that will never be worn. Discard outfits that don’t fit you well (and so you never end up wearing them), that don’t suit your state of mind (clothes you once went clubbing in circa 2005 and then forgot about), and that can’t be restyled and re-worn. We are living in a time where less is more when it comes to waste. Garments that are kept should have the power to be worn with different pairings, are timeless (and so never go out of style) and classic. Of course that doesn't mean that one-two sentimental garments cannot be kept, just not a hundred!”
The ideal way to start 2019 is a vibrant dosage of hues after an intense fall palette of jewel tones. Designer Aniket Satam says, “Invest in a lot of crisp whites in easy-to-breathe cotton and lightweight jersey. Detox doesn’t necessarily imply relaxed and frumpy handloom. One can also reboot one’s wardrobe by indulging in some bright colours and playful prints,” says Aniket.