Eid Fashion trends
By Limana Solaiman Mridha
With Eid-ul-Fitr less than a fortnight away, if you dare to embark on a shopping expedition with your friends and family, you will feel the rush and enthusiasm of people preparing for one of their favourite festivals. It is almost impossible to shop in a short time during weekends as the rush in outlets, such as Deshi Dosh, is so intense that people are literally queuing in front of saree and panjabi racks and it is a 5-10 minutes wait before you can even reach your desired display rack to choose and pick the one you want. If you have plans to buy unstitched outfits or fabrics from places like Chandni Chowk, then it is wise to avoid those destinations during weekends, or brave a sea of people and go with at least four to five hours in hand.
The Weekend Independent talked to some top designers of the country to learn about the latest trends in fashion wear, keeping in mind the scorching heat and humidity at the start of July, when we will be celebrating Eid.
Shahrukh Amin
Keeping the extreme heat and humidity in mind, I have decided to keep 80 percent of my designs at Almira, my boutique, cotton based. My designs this time around are all about chikan material, soft voile fabrics, chiffon for night-time/party wear. I am also using light and bright pastel colours to complement the weather, especially powder pink and blues, baby pink, mint, etc. I am making long kameez or kurti as the length is still in, but avoiding floor length dresses as it is too hot for that kind of attire. I am also playing with different sleeve lengths. For designs in my collection, I have opted to go with rose appliqus, vintage embroidery work with pearls, along with crochet lacing. I also have a range of muslin pieces for night-time/party wear and have chosen to promote colours such as beige, brown and off-white, with sequins and stonework to add the bling factor.
Loose pants or pencil trousers are also in. If someone is going to be sporting my designs, bright lipstick and just some kajal (kohl) will look good, especially cats eye, or just smoke it out a little. For hair, I would suggest blow dry and keep it simple, or a loose braid to bring back the 60s look, and dont forget to add a blush-on to go with the beautiful summer glow. Complete the look with some accessories such as small pearl earrings, bead jewellery, or even pair it up with a heavy silver necklace _ and you are ready to hit the town.
Rezwan Islam
I have yet to open an outlet, but I promote my work through social media and I work from home, and also host exhibitions of my designs. In fact, my current exhibition showcasing my Eid collection is going on, you can check out my Facebook page Rezwans Design for details. I love doing customised work. It is a bit more expensive than ready-made pieces, but we can also work on a budget befitting the need of the customer. This trend of customisation is quite popular in India and I am trying to promote the trend here as well.
Last year, I worked with floral prints and it was big. So, I am keen on using floral prints in panjabis, my forte is working with colours and prints, especially floral ones. This time around, I am working with fine cotton, linen and viscose and to go with the weather, I have decided to work with different shades of blue. This colour is very popular with the men of our country, and I have also some neat white pieces with tiny, light green polka dots, it looks very summery and comfortable. I am also focusing on lilac and purple and some earthy tones, such as beige and grey. To make these designs pop out a little, I have used different fabrics for lining, such as floral prints. The pieces are usually of solid colours or geometric patterns.
I have designed sleeveless jackets without lining, to keep it light and wearable in this hot summer weather, but I have kept this range limited. Panjabis are of standard length, keeping the average height of Bangladeshi men in mind. However, I am also displaying some shorter length ones from last season to provide more options to choose from.
Fayez Hassan
Aarong goes for mass production, so we cannot work with a handful of fabric type or design. We work with everything. I design womens attire, and dyeing techniques are quite big this season. I have worked with shibori, a Japanese manual dyeing technique, which produces patterns on fabric. We are also following bohemian style that promotes tribal fashion incorporated with western designs, and vibrant but raw primary colours with mirror work. Hand embroidery is our core design style, and we are also reviving katan through printing motifs in kameez. If you want to play safe and not experiment too much, pick up a classic hand-embroidered salwar-kameez set, or better still, a silk saree with traditional hand-stitch designs that will never be out of style, and you can never go wrong with one of those paired with our fashionable silver or gold jewellery.
Jotee Rahman
I work for Yellow and this time, we are promoting soft cotton fabrics as summer is in full bloom. Viscose and linen are also very popular as they are very comfortable. Keeping night-time party wear in mind, we are using silks and georgettes. Our concept for this Eid is light and bright, so summery muted shades are mostly used for the collection. You know the saying, Being nothing is everything _ with that in mind, we are making very sleek and loose fitted outfits, long asymmetric outfits are also in.
For makeup and hairstyle, I must say you can have messy braids or bun for day long hangouts, and for party time, sport a low side or back bun, or even a ponytail for a smart summer look. Keep the base makeup very light with natural shades of eye-shadow, peach or pink based natural lipstick, light blusher and heavy mascara will make for an attractive look. Men should not overlook grooming, short crew-cut hair or pompadours look classy and if anyone has long hair, he can tie it or make a messy bun on the crown. Trimmed beard is very trendy nowadays. The main thing to keep in mind is comfort and ease. You can rock any look if you are comfortable with what you are wearing or how you are carrying yourself.
Photos: Courtesy
