The latest fashion trend, that involves merging Western attires and Indian accessories, has created
an Indo-Western combination.
Western fashion has absorbed a lot of Indian elements into its clothing over time, a trend that first
started back in the 1980s, when designers adopted Indian craft, styles and techniques in their
clothing. Today, many prefer to match Western attires with Indian accessories for a smart
fashionable look. Neckpieces with embedded stones that go with elegant evening dresses,
‘dokhra’ bangles to match with everyday attires or Prerto hand accessories to name a few, create a
style statement like no other.
Roshini Ross, a 20-year-old political science student, expresses, “I was born in the Middle East and
I’ve worn Western clothes all my life. The Indian in me only recently got accustomed to wearing
Indian clothes. I started pairing comfortable Western and Indian clothes rather than wearing
traditional ethnic suits. I realised that it is socially acceptable to pair a leather jacket with a T-shirt
and a ‘patiala’ or wear a ‘kurti’ as a dress. It’s funny how people think that the Indo-Western
clothing culture is a new trend among young people. It’s not only influenced the younger
generation but even the older one, except that they are not fully aware of it yet.”
She goes on to elaborate, “Indian fashion shows by designers like Laxme, Ritu Kumar and Manish
Arora have trends that originally came from Medieval Europe and even Persia. And it works both
ways. You can even see characters such as Rachel, Monica and Phoebe from the iconic TV show F.
R. I. E. N. D. S. dressed comfortably in a ‘kurti’ and jeans in some episodes.”
Roshini also expresses, “Indo-Western clothing no longer means only ‘kurtis’ and jeans. What’s
trending are crop-top pant saris. You can drape your sari around your pants in a dhoti style and
pair it with a crop top. They go well with ‘lehengas’ too. Another great statement would be pairing
palazzo pants with a ‘kurti’ and statement tribal jewellery. You’ll feel comfortable and stylish
throughout the day. If you love comfortable clothes but want to raise your glam quotient a notch,
Indo-Western is definitely the way to go.”
Laxmi Naish, a 21-year-old, acknowledges that the Indo-Western fashion trend goes extremely well
with her body type. She teams her dresses with a Rajasthani shrug and recommends that they go
well together. “For those who don’t prefer halter-neck dresses, this is perfect! I also wear Indian
jewellery which complements the dress and gives it an authentic look,” she says.
She mixes elegance and edge as she teams up a black slit gown, with a kalamkari print and a pair
of simple jeans. “The mirror belt that I use to accessorise what I wear just adds to the appeal. I also
love wearing rings to match almost everything in my wardrobe; it just adds to the authenticity
which the Indo-Western clothing culture offers me.”