Have you been eagerly looking forward to the day you go outdoors without worrying about anything? Do you miss working with your team in person, brainstorming path-breaking ideas, letting your hair down and partying with your friends or just celebrating festivities together with the family?
ABFRL’s creative designers have come forward to give you some unique and quirky fashion tips to help embrace this New Normal. It’s novel, exciting and most importantly it unleashes your creative energy!
Read on to see how Vandana Gupta – Design Head, Ethnic and Non Apparel at Pantaloons, Mohita Rastogi – AVP and Design Head, Women Western and Kids Girls, Pantaloons, Kopal Mehrotra Sarkar – Creative Director, Louis Philippe, Sandip Sinha – Creative Director, Peter England, Nidhi Raj – Head-Product, Peter England, and Manish Kakkar – Senior Designer, Jaypore can guide you.
For your first day of work
Vandana Gupta – Design Head, Ethnic and Non Apparel at Pantaloons
· At least a week before your first workday, become friends with your wardrobe and try on your long-forgotten work clothes.
· Do remember to choose light, easy-care fabrics suitable for daily wash.
· Your body measurements may have changed over the last few months, order some new looks online if needed.
· Identify the ideal PPE and buy it in sufficient colors and designs to mix and match with your chosen wardrobe.
· A day before, pamper yourself with a Do-It-At-Home grooming and beauty routine.
· Step into your favourite fashion avatar and drive the lockdown blues away.
For your office
Mohita Rastogi – AVP and Design Head, Women Western and Kids Girls, Pantaloons
· Work wear needs to look the way it should: smart, sharp and crisp.
· Wear clothes that are well-made and fit right.
· Choose colours according to the season so that they suit your skin
· Feel comfortable with your own style and be consistent with it
· Stay up to date with the current trends and ensure that your wardrobe is updated with all the seasonal key pieces.
For business meetings
Kopal Mehrotra Sarkar – Creative Director, Louis Philippe
· Dress to impress by ensuring your outfit speaks to the audience and setting of the meeting.
· Wear an outfit that reflects your personal sense of style, while being well fitted and comfortable.
· Enhance your look with stylish accessories – watches, belts, bags, shoes, personalised stationery etc
· Layering elevates your look. For men, a blazer worn with a crisp shirt or polo over chinos works well for a business casual setting and a well-fitting suit with a formal shirt for a boardroom meeting.
· For women, choose trendy yet classy pieces for business casual meetings, for example- a micro patterned dress worn with a shrug/cardigan.
· For a formal meeting, women can wear western formals like a sheath dress, or a skirt suit or pant suit. Dress up your outfits with simple jewellery, matching accessories and bags.
For an impressive digital appearance (Men)
Sandip Sinha – Creative Director, Peter England
· Find ways to enhance your presence through a relaxed dress code with a happy vibe of fresh colours and elevated patterns.
· Select Outfits that are stylish yet comfortable to reflect positivity in communication. Silhouettes such POP-over shirts, featuring sophisticated Mandarin collar in stretchable sharp fabrics will be a must-have.
· Elevate your pitch with a layer of light weight deconstructed super refined pique blazer.
· With the trend of ‘Above-the key board dressing, the timeless ‘button-down collar’ Oxford shirt paired with a ‘pull-up home-chino’ will be the key, while you stand for stability and assurance.
· Prioritise accessories to generate interest, choice of latest wrist gadgets and selected eyewear will be the key for statement dressing.
· On a day to celebrate significant moments in a way that is meaningful, choose to wear your own authentic style, keep it organic and simple.
· Maintain positivity and togetherness during times of distancing, choose a ‘Mood Booster’ graphic crew neck to suit your style & a positive message.
For Friday Dressing
Nidhi Raj – Head-Product, Peter England
· Fix Fridays for experiments. Get some friends to also do so and have a group.
· Know that there are multiple non-routine clothing expressions for your work place such as Colourful Casuals, Jeans, Athleisure, Indo-Western or Ethnic etc. apart from Smart Casuals and Formals.
· Rotate your Fridays for these non-routine expressions so that Every Friday has a fresh twist that you and others around you look forward too.
· Borrow or Exchange a lot of stuff to dress on Fridays. And who knows, one of these Friday you may discover your real self.
· It’s absolutely Okay to make mistakes. Just don’t repeat them.
For festive occasions
Manish Kakkar – Senior Designer, Jaypore
· WFH has made us settle down in lounge-wear for way too long. It’s time to start dressing up a bit, it always lifts your spirit and cheers up your mood.
· Bring out pleasant colours, pretty florals, bright prints and patterns to boost positive vibes around you.
· Sport silhouettes that are floaty over fitted, pick stoles over dupattas, and go for a neat modern minimalist accessories game.
· Wear a fresh face of no-show make-up, and avoid going over-the-top.
· Support crafts and craftsmen in these difficult time, and get vocal for local in your purchases. They will also make for great thoughtful gifts for festivals and festivities.
· Endorse ethical, sustainable and eco-friendly textiles as they are the need of the hour, and the future of fashion.
By following these tips, you can embrace the new normal with renewed zest and positivity, while looking forward to the host of opportunities it has to offer.
