The Off-shoulder Drama

While our shoulders are entitled to carry loads of responsibilities as we say it, they are also an embodiment of elegance and pride. So flaunting them too is our sole responsibility and our current trends have bestowed our gratitude to them in the coolest way possible…the hot sensation off-shoulder attire is setting everthing ablaze from ramps to red carpets to roads. Girls of all sizes, all shapes are donning them with equal aplomb and style. From designers to premium brands to online shops –everyone have paid their tribute to the off shoulders creating a spoilt choice for all of us. While off shoulders had always been the trendsetters for centuries at different times, the avatars of it we are seeing these days are the most sensational because it is liberating us to create our unique style by flaunting them whatever way we like, wherever we want and however we want to pair them. Now that’s quite a freedom.

From the nerdy ones to the girl-next-door, prom queens to the tomboy ones, diva types to the boho types-everyone have their favourite off shoulder look. Now here’s my take on the various possibilities of styling them gelled with your mood, your occasion and your own personal style statement.

THE EASY BREEZY:

This is perfect for your sunny day out with your girl-gang…fabrics like cotton, viscose, chambray in prints,bright colors or stripes, will keep you super relaxed throughout and you don’t have to compromise on your fun. Pair them with your ripped shorts or suspenders or just wear them as a playsuit or a shift dress with fun elements like huge ruffles, bell sleeves, bloomer sleeves, interesting necklines, trapeze detailing for the super comfortable yet chic look. Accessorize as you wish. Splash whatever color you like because everything is served on your platter.

THE TOMBOY

Now who could have thought that something as delicate as off shoulders can even look so sporty, so peppy and jaw dropping hot. Take your brogues and sandals out, accessorize with your caps or denim shirts and pair them with your shorts or jeggings or your favourite pair of denims and you are all set for your activities with swag. And you already have an array of choices from checks to stripes with fun detailings in cottons and jerseys to help you out with your look.

HIGH ON GLAMOUR 
This is something which we all dream of-grace, beauty and panache personified. This high end look is the ultimate crowd puller with the paparazzi behind making you feel every bit like a diva. Now who doesn’t seek attention? And to carry this sensibility with an off shoulder ensemble is no big task with premium brands and big designers offering you all that you need in fine fabrics of satin, crepe, silk, crafted in mind-blowing patterns of big ruffles, band shoulders, sweetheart necklines or plunging necklines with dramatic finer nuances…all you need to do is carry that right attitude on your shoulders and walk with elan. Also remember that your pointed pumps and stilettos, large glares and sexy purses are your best friends this day. Go for a paired up look with A-line skirts, pencil skirts, pleated skirts or a classy full dress or jumpsuit-nothing can go wrong.

THE SMART EDGY LOOK

Look sassy, sultry yet clean and uncluttered-now that’s quite a challenging compliment. This look in minimalistic appeal goes well on any formal or semi-formal occasions. Have a neat hairstyle, choose a crisp clean bardot top in cotton or cotton Lycra in soft detailing, keep your blings away and pair up with well fitted trousers/denims, A-line skirts or structured culottes.We wonder what else could defeat this sensuality!

THE BEACH FUN

Why don a boring bikini or monokini when you can raise your oomph factor in just a second. Well just tug in your off shoulder lace crops on top, in big ruffles or Edwardian sleeves and you are ramp ready even on the sands you are playing with. Sounds like a super cool idea, isn’t it? Add some funky element of your choice or you can even go without any such thing-either way u will still look hot. Now there can be no better thing than a little off shoulder top doing all that trick-very much justifies the x-factor it possesses.

Having figured out the various styling tips with bardot ensembles, it’s time now to have a look at our trendsetters-our super talented designers, celebrities and brands who just give us the right flavor at the right time. It’s their consistent indulgence and efforts which bring to us everything that is impeccably crafted, adding on to the zing and spice of every seasonal trend.

While designers like Manish Malhotra, Shehlaa Khan, have aesthetically intertwined off shoulders in their Indian attires, western designers like Ralph and Russo have created an ethereal saga in their ornately detailed off shoulder gowns in super interesting patterns with cathedral train back . Again few designers and brands like Nimish Shah, Atsu Sekhose, Mara Hoffman,Zara, Chloe, Cord, D&G have infused their own incorporations into their off shoulder dresses in a more playful way with bright floral prints, checks&stripes, ubercool patterns, simple detailings, lacey trims. Below are some ways our celebs justified these attires in the coolest possible way leaving us with some serious fashion statements. Be it the ripped denim look or the plain Jane look in pretty A-line and full skirts or the exotic boho look with high buns, funky accessories and baggy bottoms –they have adorned everything with élan and extreme poise. All the more reason for us to keep discovering our own style statements with this elegant attire. High time ladies!

Deepika in Pankaj&Nidhi, Alia in Chicwish, Katrina in Dolce&Gabbana

Dakota Johnson in Rosetta Getty, Deepika in Cord, Olivia Palermo in Johanna Ortiz

Anushka in Verandah, Deepika in Zara, Kourtney Kardashian in American Apparel 

Kajal in Shift by Nimish Shah, Dakota Fanning in Zara, Katrina in Msgm

A model in Mara Hoffman, Deepika and Sonam in Chloe

Deepika in Rutu Neeva, Aditi in Sana Barreja, Kajal in Urvashi Joneja

Shriya in Payal Singhal, Sonam in Shehlaa Khan

Sonam in Ralph and Russo

Picture Courtesy: Various sources found through Google Images

Project Khadi for designer Gaurang Shah

KHADI-The Revolutionary Textile

Khadi,a word synonymous to one of the strongest revolution in history, shaking the entire world with the power of a mere textile -is an uprising for self dependence and glory, a tribute to the oldest civilization of the world, a celebration of age old rituals and tradition. The village which actively stood in unison to participate for the cause was Srikakulam, a serene and calm coastal area of Andhra Pradesh which has been abundantly blessed with all the richness of mother earth. The ecstasy that engulfed us enroute Srikakulam was an outcome of the abundant beauty surrounding us from the silent nagarveli river to the yellow carpet of corn fields to the luscious palm and coconut trees sheltering the pebbled narrow lanes vanishing into the horizon.

"Andhra Fine Khadi", is a prominent name all over India. This is because this variety of khadi is produced from a special variety of cotton namely Punasa cotton, Hill/ white cotton and Red cotton, of very short staple structure produced in Srikakulam area. The cotton is combed and purified with the help of fish jaws which renders it the exceptionally superfine finish that is not lost even after the whole process of weaving.Normally most cotton in India is machine carded, that means the fibers are combed and mechanically separated from the seeds and rendered into fluffy bats for the hand spinners.The entire process of manufacture — from the separation of the cotton to the spinning, is done manually. The villagers take pride in their knowledge that no advanced mechanised technology can replicate such finesse.

Change is the only constant in this world- the phrase comes alive with the fact that the khadi version which was a rave in yesteryear lost its charm with the changing times and required the much needed transition to stay in vogue . When the weavers in Srikakulam were busy fiddling with the same old designs on khadi resulting to a financial crisis over its declining demand, Gaurang’s involvement proved to be a Midas touch for the age old fabric. The subtle small geometric borders adorned with small butis on Kora were replaced with bright floral jaals accentuated with animal motifs, elaborate borders  creating the magic of jamdani on bright colored khadis like yellow, orange, red, purple,blue, beige with multicolored threadwork and zari, surpassing people’s perception of a khadi saree to an unimaginable extent offering them with a spoilt choice of the contemporary versions.

The technicality : The secret behind the quality of Gaurang’s extravagant khadis not only lies on the special weaving techniques he incorporates but the entire process which begins with the healthy processing of the cotton yarns.The yarns are dyed and washed and then soaked in a mixture of rice starch and water for three days lending them the necessary sheen and strength to undergo the processes following it.They are then beaten up to remove superficial short fibers and winded up in bobbins(dabbal) using a Charkha. Multiple such bobbins then unwind in a particular manner as per the design to form the warp(padagu) sheet in a big manually rotated motorized wheel(raate). While a normal khadi saree is of 42”-46” width using 2500-3500 yarns of 60s and 80s count, Gaurang’s Khadis have a 50” width using upto 4000 yarns of 60s-100s count giving it the grander look with fine quality and smoothness.The warp sheet then undergoes the process of denting and drafting through the two heald shafts(atsul) and reed (palakka) using the age old method of joining yarns using a particular knot(atsu).The warp sheet is then shedded properly and attached to the loom(maggam) winded up in the warp beam.The ancient technique of paper jamdani replicating the interesting method of tapestry weaving is being implemented to brocade Gaurang’s Khadi sarees creating only sheer magnificence.The time consuming technique of paper jamdani is undergone using innumerable tillis(dindillu) for brocading in a single lift to weave different colors and designs alongwith the base weft(peka). Gaurang’s khadis sometimes uses 20-25 colors in a single design involving the use of as many as 150 tillis in a single lift giving us a clear idea of what it takes to create a masterpiece by a skilled weaver .Hence the time taken is also from 4 months-8 months unlike  a few days required for a normal khadi saree.The outcome can only be considered to be an awe inspiring tale of craftsmanship, strong age-old heritage and classicism.

Apart from the paper jamdani technique , another age old technique of hand dobby(Ada)is incorporated sometimes to create beautiful geometric patterns with extra warp brocading on borders. The temple borders of various dimensions are woven alongwith the plain zari border to balance the intricate allover designs giving us the flavor of trend and tradition together. The paithani designs are also being created using paper jamdani on khadi which is throwing light into the multifacetedness of khadi  yarns which was underused with minimalistic approach for a long time and has only been endowed its richness now with Gaurang’s dramatic weaving amalgamations leaving everyone spellbound. The process of 3 shuttle weaving technique for bringing alive the possibilities of yarn combinations like muga with khadi, Muga with silk is also being practiced, again creating an entirely different line of khadis.

The weavers who were only weaving basic khadi sarees with regular butis and borders are now strikingly bringing into perfection the art of elaborate designs on khadi at par with a heavy kanjeevaram sari or a grand Benarasi sari. The challenges thrown by Gaurang at a bunch of almost 300 weavers in srikakulam spanning 10-15 villages,  are always different and tough but their zest to take them up is incredible and sometimes follow with a rigorous training by the master weavers for tougher challenges. The true Indian fabric which transformed millions of lives in a bygone era is again trying to transform lives of many now, with efforts from textile reformist like Gaurang and hence addressing more and more weavers to join this saga in an active way making it their  way of life as it was once in history.

     

   

         

Project Chikankari for designer Gaurang Shah

CHIKANKARI-Sheer elegance

Chikankari , the art of whitework embroidery developed during the Mughal Period bestowed the small town Lucknow with international acclaim for its incomparable and intricate work that emitted royalty appealing  people world over .Apart from Lucknow’s magnificent Imambaras and grand Mosques which beared testimony to its rich cultural heritage, Chikankari rightfully placed itself into that legacy .  There are references to Indian Chikan work as early as 3rd century BC by Megasthenes, who mentioned the use of flowered muslins by Indians. Another tale also mentions how a traveler taught Chikankari to a peasant in return of water to drink. However history also reminisces the origin of chikankari by the female helpers of the Mughal Emperors who would do subtle needlework in their leisure times on the Emperor’s angrakha or cap.The name Chikan has been derived from the Persian word Chakin or Chikeen meaning a cloth wrought with needlework.

Unfortunately the irony lies in the fact that with the rising demands of this textile , the versions of Chikankari we find in recent times is just a mere adaptation of the real ones with involvement of cheaper fabrics like poly cotton,terry cotton,rubia  and polyester threads with loose stitches for fast and cheap production that nowhere justifies the authenticity of the fabric. Defeating the threat on this fabric is a name, Gaurang, whose tremendous efforts on preserving its  genuineness and quality is to be accredited. The embroidery is created on his assortment of rich fabrics like tussar, tussar-kota, muga, khadi etc involving the finest stitches in intricate patterns and detailing.  His signature style of infusing two rich techniques and other smart incorporations give us a surprising wide platter of variations neither compromising the tradition nor the contemporary appeal. While his bold geometric patterns of diagonals, polkas etc were quite a huge hit till recently, Gaurang’s efforts to continuously exhibit a different dimension to the same textile art has now led him to style it with intricate detailing on both geometric patterns and motifs like kalkas, jaal,chadiya,buti jaal to name a few, sometimes accentuating them with badla work and takes almost triple the time compared to an easier pattern. The infusion of kalamkari with chikankari on the same piece is a beauty to be adored and takes a time of almost one and half years for completion.While the local chikankaris invests only 2-3 designs or layouts on a single piece to save up on time and cost, Gaurang’s versions uses almost 10-12 layouts to give us the best of it.
The technicality : The piece begins with the printing of pattern blocks usually made of shisham wood on the ground fabric and now imprints are also taken down from khakhas directly to create big Jaal layouts without repeat. The embroiderer then stitches the pattern, and the finished piece is carefully treated with a careful amount of bleach, soda, soap and acid and then washed mildly on rectangular wooden planks made of mango, babul or neem tree.

The patterns and effects created depends on the types of stitches , the thickess of the needle and the number of threads used in the embroidery. While the local versions use thicker needles, easier stitches like bakhiya, tepchi etc, polyester threads with higher counts,  Gaurang’s versions never compromise on any step which would otherwise damage the quality of the fabric-be it the use of pure cotton 6-ply yarn for the embroidery or the clean workmanship in the stitches.Some of the varieties of stitches used include Jali, Murri, Ghaas Patti, Dhaniya Patti, Fanda, Bakhiya, Keel, Kangan, Karan Phool, Peshni, Balda, Kauri, Bijli, Tepchi, Hatkadi etc.

Little did we know that our journey through the small lanes of a village near Lucknow adorned with multicolored whitewashed houses and cattle farms , would lead us to a visual treat which has to be seen to feel.Magic was being created by a bunch of giggling and smiling women of varied age groups sitting together who greeted us with a sense of contentment. Their eye for minute detailing, their enthusiasm to keep the textile art form alive in a vibrant way was overwhelming. To what prevails generally of infrequent work and bad payment terms which indirectly dampens an embroiderer’s spirit, Gaurang accompanied by his master embroiderer has transformed the lifestyle of their workers and the village as a whole with good pay, proper hierarchy,various units with experienced instructors to hone the skills of newcomers , incorporation of smarter techniques to co-ordinate with them and hence can be considered as a role model of women empowered industry which justifies his sincere vision of reviving this textile art in the truest sense.