BENGALURU: Ditching an embellished lehenga for her sangeet evening, newly-wed Athiya Shetty went for a chic ivory-hued chikankari pantsuit by designer Anjul Bhandari, which featured baby pearls and sequin. Needless to say, she looked like a breath of fresh air. Not just Shetty, many in the city are hooked to pantsuits in linen fabric, embroidery on the blazers, or Indian prints like Ikkat.
Fashion designer Kaajal Shah is a huge fan of Indian prints like ajrak, brocade and bandhini which is quite evident from her collection too, where she has used those prints to make pantsuits. “I am from Kutch and grew up on these fabrics. So I have tried to give a modern twist to these Indian fabrics. You can wear it for any kind of evening event or even a cocktail party,” says Shah, who runs her label Eiza by Kaaj.
Being a designer, she is aware of the fact that customers also look for reusability. “These things can be worn separately too. You can wear the brocade pants with a basic t-shirt and you will be good for any office event. For example, I had teamed a brocade jacket with a skirt for an event in Paris and people were so intrigued by designs being used this way and loved the whole fusion,” recalls Shah.
Fashion designer Shloka Sudhakar adds that pantsuits are so versatile that they can be worn at any time of day. “If you have festive wear, you can go with a fabric like brocade or a completely embroidered pantsuit. Right now bling pants with blazers teamed with bling bralettes are also in for parties,”says Sudhakar.
With summer here, do blazers work? Sudhakar says, “For summer, there are a lot of different options in terms of cuts. For example, a blazer with off-shoulders or cold shoulders can be sported. Most international high-end luxury brands are coming up with that. Celebrities like Kiara Advani have worn blazers with multiple cuts.”
According to fashion content creator Arpita Yadav, the fun way to use pantsuits for summer is to include bold colours. “You can go for bold neon-coloured pantsuits to add that pop of colour. Or team up the blazer with a sports bra and shorts. That gives a cool breezy look too,” says Yadav.
Apart from that, you can opt for a pantsuit in linen as well. Rupanshi Agarwal, founder of Qua Clothing, says during summer, more than the design, it’s the fabric that plays an important role. “Summer silhouettes should not be stiff and restrict movement. Blazer colours can be lightweight and in vibrant pastels in this season,” says Agarwal.