Bhavna Khullar
To dare to go out despite all the slush you have to face for reaching your workplace is not a very easy thing to do. Your brain goes for a toss when it’s raining cats and dogs outside and you have to stand in front of the wardrobe to put on the dress you dislike the most and still be presentable, so that it hurts the least if a car splashes muddy water on you while you turn to cross the road.
Suddenly, you realise that you wore black the day before too, all thanks to the rain! And for the sake of your fashionable image at the office, your conscience won’t allow you to flaunt the same colour for two days in a row. Next you cross your fingers and wish that your bright colour dress is saved from the mess…one last time please!
But I think, despite all this we still don’t have to really dread the season and wait for it to get over if we have the perfect fashion sense. Because what Monsoon brings with it otherwise is the opportunity for you to experiment with the looks, and give a very casual and comfortable touch to your formal outfit at the workplace. You would hopefully find Monsoon as, perhaps, the trendiest season of all after waking up to the following tips for ‘Monsoon Fashion’.
CLOTHING
Take a break from your full-length body hugging denims
Monsoon is arriving, and it’s time for your favourite pair of jeans to be overlooked for a few months. Full-length denims, long ethnic skirts, saris and leather are a complete no-no for this season. However, if you are too used to wearing denims, opt for light-weight denim fabrics.
Use of cotton is the best way to enjoy the season because it is light and easy to wear. Knee length ‘Cargos’ in hues of red rust, light orange and military green, khaki and beige are best for everyday rains. You can couple it up with bright coloured cotton kurtis or T-shirts, to make the perfect contrast.
Fold your pants up
Nothing can beat the cotton ‘Capris’ with short ¾ length teamed up with ethnic kurtis in shades of blue, purple or parrot green. For girls who want to maintain their feminine look can go for short flare skirts and knee length halter neck dresses. This one is especially for guys – even if you’re wearing full length pants, it must be a little loose, so that you can fold it up to spell style when you go out.
Show your skin in a sporty sleeveless tee
It is the perfect season to show off your sexy curves in a sporty sleeveless or a racer-back tee, preferably in softer shades of blue, pink, green or yellow. You can team it up with shorts or hot pants, in subtle colours like beige or khaki. For guys, a light coloured printed shirt is the best to be worn with those shorts or folded pants.
‘Kurtis with Churidaars’ for a complete traditional look
Flaunt your sexy kurtis by teaming them up with snug-fit churidaars striking a good contrast. Forget the long ‘difficult to handle’ dupatta, and accessorise your traditional look with a long neck piece instead.
Get into the comfy water-friendly footwear
It’s best to get into those slip-ons or strappy rain sandals (unisex), better if bought from brands like Reebok or Puma. These are water-friendly and work best with cargos, capris, shorts, hot-pants or folded jeans.
ACCESSORIES
You can accessorise your look by wearing funky, long neckpieces, or earrings, with a sporty tee, or an ethnic kurta, coupled with capris, shorts, hot-pants or mini-skirts. A perfect accessorised look would be a white T-shirt coupled with bright coloured shorts, with a bold, colourful neckpiece. Try keeping it simple by accessorising your clothing with either the neckpiece or the earrings.
PS: Matching your flip-flops with the accessories readies you to step out in style!
MONSOON HAIRDO
Frizzy and sticky hair is one of the most predictable problems the season gets with it because of the humidity. The best remedy is to wash hair with a good quality shampoo and conditioner every time it gets wet in the rain. This is basically to keep the scalp clean.
Well, as for the perfect hair look, you can accessories the hairstyle with fancy, colourful clips and hairpins. A funky, collar-length haircut like a bob cut, looks best with the sporty monsoon clothing. As for styling long hair, Bangs and fringes are totally out. A natural and manageable look can make you really attractive. For divas with long hair, try to keep your hair tied up. Otherwise, use broad hair bands of nude and funky colours to be worn with trendy casual outfits. These bands make both curly and straight hair look truly chic and stylish.
Men can look the best with well-chopped hair, managed well with a good styling gel to give the hairdo a nice, ‘wet’ monsoon look. Do refrain from hair wax and hard gel.
MONSOON MAKE-UP
Being natural is the key to perfect fashion statement for monsoon. Applying minimal make-up, refraining from using powder based mascara and compact is best suited for the look. Try using waterproof mascara and a nice long lasting lip-gloss or lip-balms in lighter tints. For the cheeks, stick to pastel shades with rosy undertones. For those who are fond of eye make-up can use waterproof pencil eyeliners in fresh colours like green and blue.
A TRENDY UMBRELLA OR A RAINCOAT TO KEEP IT SEXY!
A trendy umbrella is a must-have to complete the look for this season. Black is dreary, so get a pink or a transparent umbrella with delicate prints over it for adding vibrancy to your clothing. If carrying an umbrella is a task for you, you can look even more attractive in a bright coloured raincoat. You can wear the most colourful clothes underneath, as the transparent raincoats will give a soothing effect to your entire attire.
So, enjoy monsoon in style!
