Pastel hues for the win

BENGALURU: Owing to the increasing number of Covid cases, the idea of celebrations looks like a thing of the past. As events and functions grow smaller and more intimate, the dressing-up culture too has evolved to keep up with the change. Celebrity designer Rashmi Anoop Rai, who is known for dressing A-listers in Sandalwood, has come up with a new collection on pastels to go with the trend.

Rai says that with events and family gatherings getting intimate, more than bold colours and gaudy designs, people are going for understated designs. “Pastel hues are so much in vogue and looks subtle and classic. Most of the time, it’s pastel what couples prefer be it nudes, offwhites, ecru, dusty blue or mauve,” she says. Whether it’s sangeet, mehendi, cocktail, muhurtam or reception, usually a couple or even the family likes the outfits to be more colour-coordinated with the decors. Then, the pastels really help in sobering down the grandeur, yet retain its classiness.

Rai’s collection has a heavy usage of embellishments, where the star attraction of the whole attire is one element whether it’s the blouse or the skirt. “The collection has embellishments on the blouse which stand out. Off late, people love to have embellishments in such a way that it camouflages with the fabric and only shows up through the textile,” explains Rai.

While Covid has been a dampener this year, Rai still went ahead with her collection because she believes a fresh piece of attire can cheer up any person. “Though the situation is bad, people are still looking for ways to come out of it. And fashion is not just about the trends but but also art,” says Rai. Having been associated with film industry since 2017, she has worked as costume designer for more than 15 movies and is currently looking forward to six releases this year.