Kurti with Patiala shahi

 

Fabric of cultures

» Globally inspired summer wear

_., Chitwan Khosla
Features Editor

M features

@theotherpress.ca

 

part from food, one thing
that expresses one’s love for

culture and traditions is clothing.

Clothing is an integral part of
any country or community, and
people identify with their own
when they incorporate tradition
in their wardrobes.

Interestingly, this season,
the latest clothing trends scream
of cultural roots. Designers all
around the world have been
experimenting to create a fusion
of modern and cultural attire
that speaks of our image and

traditional property, and we have :
: stores, but they are not very

: popular. On the other hand,

: women can be seen wearing

: boubous extensively and even

: stores like Sears have dresses

: and tunics influenced from the

: boubou. For men, dashiki shirts

: have again made a comeback.

: Loose and comfortable, dashiki

: shirts do not have buttons or

: collars. They usually have long

: V-necks with full- or half-sleeves.
: They are perfect for a weekend

: lunch at your local pub or at

: the beach. Cotton head wraps

: are quite on-trend this year,

: especially with flamboyant

: colours like bloody red and

fervent customers for them right
here in the Lower Mainland.
We're a target market because of
our passion for fashion and bold
style. I have been shopping and
studying the market extensively
for the past few weeks, and was
glad to see that people were not
only wearing ethnic apparel of
their own, but were trying those
influenced by other cultures

and traditions as well. Here’s

my quick compilation of the
culturally inspired fashion this
season that you should try, and
possibly give permanent space to
in your wardrobes.

African fashion safari:

: boubou, dashiki shirts, and
: cotton head wraps

Some of the boldest, most

vibrant, and beautiful traditional
: wear on the market these days

: is African. The fearless use of

: warm colours and striking big

: prints is stunning. African wear
: is very practical. It suits almost
: every body shape and type,

: and goes well with the weather.
: This season you can find very

: interesting floral and geometric
: prints in dresses.

A boubou isa long,

: unisexual caftan dress native to

: West Africa. This is appropriate
: for the summer as it is loose-

: fitting. You can find boubous for
: men, or grand boubou as they

call them at some traditional

Cece 8

ih ye

‘—?

fot A

: margarita pink. Ifyou are keen

: to try African wear, look at stores
: like Touch of Africa on West

: Pender Street in downtown

: Vancouver.

The Indian affair: kurtis

with Patiala shahis and kurta
: pyjamas

Talk about India’s clothing

: and what first comes to mind

: is the playful mingling of

: lively colours and outrageous

: embroidery. There is not a

: single Indian woman out there
: who has not tried at least half

: a dozen ethnic dresses before

: every wedding (which is a near-
: quarterly affair) or festivals

: (almost a monthly affair) in her
: life. I take pride in my culture

: and its clothing especially, and
: always add the latest trends to

: my collection of Indian dresses.
: Pretty much all the Indian style
: statements become popular

: when you start noticing them in
: media.

Kurtis are quite popular

: across the globe among young

: and working Indian women.

: Originally made from 100 per

: cent pure cotton, kurtis can

: have regional influence in their
: patterns and embroidery. Patiala
: shahi, from the royal city of

: Punjab, is a loose trousers-like

: clothing for women just like a

: shalwar but with more tapering
: at the ankles. What makes a

: Patiala shahi so special is the

“‘

—

erent .

 

Photo credits:

Top Row: cdnc.lystit.com, media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com, indianfashiontrend.com
Bottom Row: pinimg.com, modernqipao.com, dhresource.com

: pleating that creates a very

: elegant look. Super comfortable,
: these are fit for summer and

: winter alike. This summer you

: can find many women pairing

: knee-length, long-sleeved kurtis
: with Patiala shahis. This is a

: very interesting twist because

: traditionally Patiala shahis are

: worn with longer kurtis and long
: scarfs called dupattas. Lighter

: shades of yellow, blue, and pink

: are quite popular. You can wear a
: kurti with a pair of jeans as well if :
: you want to go more Western in
: your appearance.

Kurta pyjamas are evergreen

: dresses for men from India. A

: simple yet smart long shirt with

: straight pants of the same fabric,
: it isa comfort heaven for men in
: summer. Usually available in very :
: soft and colours like white, beige,
: ecru, and grey, kurta pyjamas

: this summer are breaking all

: the stereotypes and going

: for very striking colours like

: azure, chartreuse, bottle-green,

: lavender, and peach. Kurta-

: pyjamas are hard to buy ready-

: made, and generally require the

: services of a skillful tailor, but are :
: totally worth it. :

Chinese silk road: silk and

cotton Cheongsam dresses
; and Changshan jackets

Royal, elegant, and powerful

are very suitable adjectives
: for some of the beautiful
: clothing from China. With little

: knowledge about the culture,

: I visited seemingly endless

: storesina day to look for some

: traditional wear. I was so lost in
: the fine detail and perfection of
: the embroidery on silks.

I spotted many young ladies

: wearing Cheongsam. Though

: there are much shorter dresses

: than the authentic ones around,
: they still have similar designs

: and fabric. Silk is the primary

: material for Cheongsam and also

the traditional one, but it is hard

: to look after—no one wants to

: make trips to the dry cleaners

: ona regular basis. Fortunately,

: you can find cotton and other

: materials being used to make this
: pretty, figure-hugging attire. This
: summer, bright floral prints are

quite in fashion. The traditional

: red is getting less popular, and

: lighter tones of indigo, purple,

: magenta, and gold are easily

: available. Black ones are perfect
: fora dinner date. They are

: different from the regular little

: black dresses, and give you a

: subtly chic look. Invest in a very
: durable material if you want to

buy one. For men this season,

: Changshan jackets are available

: in more practical fabrics, as

: opposed to silk. Although you're
: missing the glamour of silk, one
: can still feel handsome in these

: jackets thanks to their special

: fitting at the shoulders.