South Asian Heritage Month: Read Sunny’s tips on how to nail the perfect outfit
Head of our Programme Management Office Sunny Pinto offers some fabulous advice on how to dress to celebrate South Asian Heritage Month. Read her blog for some top tips.
Some of the traditional outfits for women include sarees, salwar kameez and lehenga cholies! Some contemporary designers have given birth to popular Indo-western outfits where the east meets west and have created a unique fusion of traditional handicraft with newer fabrics and designs.
Sarees are essential to the wardrobe of every Indian woman. Each saree is unique given the range of textiles and colours customary to different parts of India. Decorative elements can vary from traditional handwork to prints and machine cuts. These garments are known for their versatility, timeless elegance, and grace. Designers like Sabyasachi, Manish Malhotra and Ritu Kumar have given this regal garment the international recognition it deserves.
Some of these garments hold sentimental value as they are inherited from mothers and grandmothers or purchased for a special occasion. These garments have the superpower to transport you instantly to your homeland or bring back some precious memories about near and dear ones and often just take you down memory lane. Some even lead me to reminisce of Bollywood movies I watched as a young child!
Here are some top tips to help you choose the right outfit:
1.Dress to kill or dress to survive! Take into account the weather and occasion. Have a think about whether you will be moving around or sitting pretty and choose the weight and material of the outfit accordingly.
2.Play with colour and patterns: Some traditional thinkers prescribe certain colours based on skin tone, but I say wear what makes you happy! Go big and bold - after all you only live once. The more, the merrier, and preloved options are just as good. Be respectful of the traditions and occasions that demand a certain colour, soberness, or mood. Don’t follow trends, make your own!
3.Play with texture and fall: Each individual woman’s body demands to be accepted on its own terms; they are all beautiful and unique in their own way! Choosing the right fall, texture, and print allows you to highlight your best features and feel more confident. Whatever you do, own it, and don’t look back.
4. Create your own brand and style: Adding a personal touch with accessories is the way to stand out and mix it up! You could choose a large jhumka (pair of earrings), kadas (pair of bangles) from your sister’s cupboard, or just a lovely little embellished potli (clutch) for that instant oomph and glamour.
5. Preloved/ Recycle / Restyle –You could also consider recycling outfits by draping them in different ways, wearing them with different accessories, or choosing a crop top from a high-street brand for a new and modern look!
Whether you choose comfort or high fashion, the options are endless. Indian ethnic wear is for one and all - young and old, tall or petite, quiet or loud! Some even go as far as saying:
“A Saree a day, keeps the gloom away”.
There you go NHS - one new therapeutic treatment to prescribe.
